Sampler - Glass or stainless steel tubes of various lengths and outer
diameters (OD) with the central portion packed with 200 mg of solid
adsorbent material(s). Tubes should be individually numbered and show
the direction of flow.
Flow rates - Two tubes§ with independent flow control should be run in
parallel to achieve sample volumes of 1 and 4 liters‡. Typical flow rates
include:
16.7 ml/min to collect 1 liter of air in 1 hour
66.7 ml/min to collect 4 liters of air in 1 hour
§ EPA requires the use of distributed volume pairs for monitoring to
ensure high quality data. However, in situations where acceptable data
have been routinely obtained through use of distributed volume pairs
and the ambient air is considered well characterized, cost considerations
may warrant single-tube sampling. Any attendant risk to data quality
objectives is the responsibility of the individual.
‡ Appropriate proportional scaling of these volumes to fit the target list
and monitoring objectives is acceptable.
Sample time - 1 to 3 hours
Sample temperature - The temperature of the sorbent tube must be
the same (and not lower than) ambient temperature when sampling or
moisture will be retained via condensation.
Sample storage - Use sample tubes within 30 days after conditioning
with heat and an inert gas. After sampling, place the tubes in a clean,
cool (< 4 C), and organic solvent-free environment. Generally, analysis
should occur within 30 days of sample collection as artifacts may be
generated during sample storage. Some compounds, such as limonene
and labile sulfur or nitrogen-containing volatiles, will require analysis
within one week. Tubes with multiple sorbent beds should also be
analyzed as soon as possible to avoid sample recovery errors. Blank
tubes should be stored in a manner similar to the sample tubes to check
background levels of the sorbent.
Analysis - Thermal desorption followed by gas chromatography
Background levels of samplers - Tubes packed with sorbent should
be conditioned using elevated temperatures and a flow of ultra-pure
inert gas. Table 2 in EPA Method TO-17 provides guidelines on the
recommended temperature and gas flow for conditioning. Analyze a
conditioned tube to obtain a blank profile for target compounds.
Evaluation of total suspended particles (TSP)
and respirable particles (PM10) in the zone
of Guayabal, Medellín, Colombia, 2000
Abstract
In this work total suspended particles (TSP) and breathable particles
matter
(PM10) were determined, in Guayabal sector-Medellín (Colombia), over 5
months in the year 2000.
The TSP daily average concentration was 113 μg/m3, being lower than
the
daily norm value for Colombia (400 μg/m3). Nevertheless, the
concentrations
tended to be higher than annual norm of 100 μg/m3. The PM10 daily
concentrations,
with an average of 74 μg/m3, were never higher than daily norm of
150 μg/m3, established by the Environmental Protection Agency of the
United
States (US EPA). But they tend to be higher than annual norm (50 μ/m3).
It was possible to obtain 101 TSP and PM10 data couples daily, which
permitted
to make a correlation little explored in Colombia, with results of R2 =
0,91.
This permits an important economy in future studies, because, by
measuring
TSP it is possible to estimate with high reliability the PM10 value. The
PM10/
TSP ratio showed an average of 0,62, indicating an important
participation of
Breathable Particles Matter with respect to Total Suspended Particles.
