Abstract
Quality assurance (QA) assessments of air pollution data sets provide a basis for evaluating the significance of various substances in the atmosphere. For non-criteria pollutants, QA results are seldom reported in the technical literature and are often difficult to estimate. The present report provides a summary of QA results such as recovery, precision and accuracy data. Of the six trace elements and nine organic constituents compared in detail, recoveries, laboratory precision and laboratory accuracy values were 100%, ±3% to ±19% and-2 to-13% for the former group and 69% to 98%, ±7% to 23% and-15 to-34% for the later group. System precision varied from ±22% to ±47% for the trace elements and ±42% to ±83% for the organic constituents. Limitations in the interpretation of non-criteria particulate-phase pollutant data bases are discussed with some emphasis placed on receptor-modelling and risk assessment applications. Finally, the relevance of NBS certified materials for QA estimates in non-criteria air pollutant studies is also reviewed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Appel, B. R. et al.: 1982, Characterization of Organic Particulate Matter II, CARB Report-ARB A9-074-31.
Atkinson, R. et al.: 1984, ‘Kinetics of Reactions of Napthalene and Biphenyl with OH Radicals and with O3 at 294±1K’, Env. Sci. Tech. 18, 110–113.
Biermann, H. W. et al.: 1985, ‘Kinetics of Gas-Phase Reactions of the Hydroxyl Radical with Napthalene, Phenanthrene and Anthracene’, Env. Sci. Tech. 19 244, 248.
Cass, G. R. and McRae, G. J.: 1983, ‘Source Receptor Reconcilliation of Routine Air Monitoring Data for Trace Elements: An Emissions Inventory Assisted Approval’, Env. Sci. Tech. 17, 129–139.
Daisey, J. M. et al.: 1982, ‘Ambient Levels of Particulate Organic Matter in New York City in Winter and Summer’, Atmos. Env. 16, 2161–2168.
Daisey, J. M. et al.: 1983, ‘Effects of Filter Type on the Organic Composition and Mutagencity of Inhalable Particulate Matter’, Aerosol Sci. Tech. 2, 295.
Dzubay, T. G.: 1980, ‘Chemical Element Balance Method Applied to Dichotomous Sample Data, Ann. NY Acad. Sci. 338, 126–144.
EPA: 1976, Quality Assurance Handbook for Air Pollution Measurement Systems, Vol. I. EPA 600/9-76-005.
EPA: 1977, Quality Assurance Handbook for Air Pollution Measurement System, Vol. II. EPA 600/4-77-027a.
Gabriels, R.: 1970, ‘General Method for Calculating the Detection Limit in Chemical Analysis’, Anal. Chem. 42, 1439–1440.
Greenberg, A. and Darack, F. B.: 1985, ‘Atmospheric Reactions and Reactivity Indices of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons’, in Molecular Structure and Energetics Vol. 4 VCH Publ., Deerfield Beach, FL.
Greenberg, A. et al.: 1985, ‘Comparison of Seasonal Differences in Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Levels in NJ’, Atmos Env. 19, 1325–1339.
Harkov, R. et al.: 1985, ‘Quality Control for Non-criteria Air Pollutants: Results from the ATEOS project, Submitted to JAPCA.
Harkov, R.: 1986, ‘The New Jersey ATEOS Program: An Overview of its Importance and Health/Regulatory Implications’, in P. J. Lioy and J. M. Daisey (eds.), Air pollution in the 1980s-Results from NJ ATEOS program, Lewis Pub. Ann. Arbor. Mi.
Harkov, R. and Fisher, R.: 1982, ‘The Design and Implementation of an Integrated State Monitoring Program for Airborne Toxic Substances’, in Proceedings 75th Annual APCA meeting New Orleans, La #81-1.1.
Ito, K. et al.: 1985, ‘The Effects of Sample Size and Random Error on the Factor Analysis/Multiple Regression (FA/MR) Receptor Modelling Technique’, in Proceedings 78th Annual APCA meeting, Detroit, Mi. #85, 21.5.
Kleinman, M. T. et al.: 1980, ‘Identifying and Estimating the Relative Importance of Sources of Airborne Particulate’, Env. Sci. Tech. 14, 62–65.
Kowalczyk, G. S. et al.: 1982, ‘Identification of Atmospheric Particulate Sources in Washington, D.C. Using Chemical Element Balances’, Env. Sci. Tech. 16, 79–92.
Lafleur, A. L. and Pangaro, N.: 1981, ‘Artifact Formation in the Soxhlet Extraction of Environmental Samples with Acetone’, Anal. Letters 14, 1613, 1624.
Leahy, D. F. et al.: 1980, ‘Filter material for Sampling of Ambient Aerosols’, Anal. Chem. 52, 1779–1780.
Lioy, P. J. et al.: Annual Report from ATEOS Project. Year A. To N. J. Department of Environmental Protection, Trenton, NJ.
Morandi, M.: 1985, Development of Source Apportionment Models for Inhalable Particulate Matter and its Extractable Organic Fractions in Urban Areas of New Yersey', NYU Medical Center, NY, NY, Doctoral Dissertation. 286 pp.
Pitts, J. N. et al.: 1980, Atmospheric Epoxidation of Benzo(a)pyrene by Ozone. Formation of the Metabolite Benzo(a)pyrene-4,5-oxide, Science 210, 1347–1349.
Siak, J. et al.: 1985, ‘Contribution to Bacterial Mutagencity from Nitro-PAH Compounds in Ambient Aerosols’, Atmos. Env. 19, 369–376.
Van Cauwenberghe K. et al.: 1980, Physical and Chemical Transformations of Organic Pollutants during Aerosol Sampling, in A. Quayle (ed.), Advances in Mass spectroscopy, Vol. VIII, Heyden, London.
Van Cauwenberghe, K. and Van Vaeck, L.: 1983, ‘Toxicological Implications of the Organic Fraction of Aerosols-A Chemists View’, Mut. Res. 116, 1–20.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Harkov, R., Greenberg, A., Darack, F. et al. Exploring data quality for some inorganic and organic constituents of inhalable particulate matter (PM10). Environ Monit Assess 9, 83–92 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00394218
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00394218