PM2.5 measurements in the Tennessee Valley region
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (United States)
- Brigham Young Univ., Provo, UT (United States). Dept. of Chemistry
Although the monitoring and regulatory implementation schedules for the revised particulate matter (PM) National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) remain uncertain, it is evident that the new NAAQS for particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 m m (i.e., PM2.5 or PMFine) will be difficult for many parts of the country to attain. Since August 1982, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has collected more than 14 station-years of baseline fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM2.5 to PM10) mass data using standard dichotomous samplers deployed at eight monitoring stations ranging from urban/industrial to rural/background. The seasonal and inter-site variability of these mass data (and sulfur data as available) are described. PM2.5 to PM10 ratios appropriate for the south-central US estimated, and historic PM2.5 levels are compared with the new NAAQS to identify the potential for compliance problems. Preliminary PM2.5 data from a prototype Federal Reference Method (FRM) PM2.5 monitoring network, established by TVA and Tennessee Valley regulatory partners in 1997 to measure current levels of PM2.5 are presented. An improved denuder-based semi-volatile sampler employing a Harvard University particle concentrator has been developed and field tested. Preliminary results indicate that a significant and highly variable fraction of organic material (from as little as 10% to more than 60%) in the PM2.5 aerosol may be lost. This leads to serious uncertainties in source attribution, environmental exposure, and the development of PM2.5 control strategies.
- OSTI ID:
- 361967
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-980632-; TRN: IM9933%%351
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 91. annual meeting and exhibition of the Air and Waste Management Association, San Diego, CA (United States), 14-18 Jun 1998; Other Information: PBD: 1998; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings of the 91. annual meeting and exhibition. Bridging international boundaries: Clean production for environmental stewardship; PB: [5000] p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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