Environmental Dust Monitoring

Environmental Dust Monitoring –
Local Air Quality: impact on our neighbours and the wider
environment.
TSI – Nick Brown
Regional Sales Manager UK & Ireland
6th
July 2016

Agenda
+ Reasons why control is important.
+ Methods of monitoring.
+Air quality papers and research.
+Guideline & regulation.
+Summary.
07/07/16© TSI Incorporated
2

Agenda
+Summary.
3

Reasons why control is important
4
+ Scientifically-established harmful effects leading to research &
regulations with the goal to protect
• Human health
• Environment
+ Nuisance effects
• Visibility
• “Dirty” environment

+ Health effects from particles and fibres from certain materials are
immediate while those from other types of materials may take many
years to develop.
+ It is therefore essential that exposure to all forms and sizes of particle
pollution is kept to a minimum, both for workers on site and for other
people living and working outside the activity boundary.
5

+ Predicted daily incidence and prevalence of various health end
points in The Netherlands attributed to short-term exposure to
indicated 24 h average PM-10 levels. Expressed as the number of persons
affected each day in the Dutch population (15 million).
6
Health End Point 40 µg/m³ 140 µg/m³ 200 µg/m³
Early Mortality 13 50 73
Hospital Admissions 29 109 165
Asthma in Children (age 7-11) 600 2,700 4,400
Upper Airway Respir Symptoms 11,000 41,000 62,000
>10% Lung Function Decrements 0 230,000 150,000
5-10% Lung Function Decrements 390 460,000 240,000

+ Personal exposure and health research
+ Compliance and regulatory pollution control strategies
+ Evaluate effectiveness of remedial actions and assess exposure in
communities
+ Timely public reporting, air quality index, and forecasting
-> Network of reference (equivalent) instruments
- Expensive (purchase & cost of ownership)
- Operator training, large footprint, power consumption
7

+ An environmentally friendly site is beneficial and the relevant
legislation relating to the control of particles from construction,
Industrial, demolition and related activity adhered to.
+ Construction site / industrial operators need to demonstrate that both
nuisance dust and fine particle emissions from their sites are
adequately controlled and are within acceptable limits.
8

+ Nuisance dust emissions from construction and other civil engineering
activities are a common and well-recognised problem.
+ Under Part IV of the Environment Act, (1995) and the UK Air Quality
Strategy, Local Authorities are required to work towards achieving
national air quality objectives.
+ Dusts from various construction processes contain a wide range of
particle sizes and material types (eg silica) and can cause both minor
and serious health problems. They can also cause discomfort to the
eyes, nose, mouth, respiratory tract and skin.
9

+The larger particles, usually termed dust, tend to settle out of the air
quickly and are mostly a health hazard to the operators of plant and
equipment and those in the immediate area. They enter the nose and
mouth during breathing and settle in the upper airways.
+PM10 particles and smaller are usually invisible and may not seem to be
an obvious hazard. However, they can be carried much further in the air
and can cause health hazards both to workers on the site and to people
living and working outside the site boundary in the local neighbourhood.
10

+ Potential effects of particles on people
+ Health effects from particles of dust can effect the skin, hair and lips
and smaller particles getting into the deeper respiratory tract.
+ Air pollution can cause both short term
and long term effects on health and
many people are concerned about
pollution in the air that they breathe.
+ People with heart or lung conditions,
or other breathing problems health
may be further affected by air pollution.
11

+ Potential effects of particles on People
+ Nuisance caused by surface soiling.
+ In the UK alone, it is estimated that the burden of long-term exposure
to outdoor particulate air pollution in 2016 was an effect on mortality
equivalent to nearly 40,000 deaths at typical ages and an associated
loss of total population life of 468,965 life-years.*
+ This is thought to be higher if we consider indoor air pollution as well.
*Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health 2016
12

+ Potential effects of particles on the environment
+ Landscape & Loss of visual amenity through deposition.
+ Nature conservation & Covering of the leaf surface, resulting in shading and
consequently reduction in net photosynthesis, altered pigment levels
and/or reduced productivity.
+ Alteration of leaf surface chemistry that
may affect disease resistance.
+ Addition of nutrients from the dust that may
lead to increased growth and/or deficiencies.
+ Cultural heritage
13

+ Potential effects of particles on the environment
+ Changes in soil pH levels over time if the dust has different pH conditions.
+ Soil pollution via deposition from the air or water run-off.
+ Creation of a surface film on still water bodies.
+ Increase in suspended and dissolved material in water courses with knock-
on effects on aquatic ecology.
+ Surface soiling and damage
during cleaning.
Source: Adapted from Land Use Consultants, 1998
14

+ Benefit of an environmentally friendly site:
+ An environmentally friendly site will help to establish good relationships
between the companies, contractors, regulators, local residents and others
in the construction process, thereby helping projects to run smoothly.
+ Benefits will be felt at both corporate
and project levels and include:
+ Lessening of the impact on local air
quality
+ Reduction in the soiling of property, thereby reducing the costs of cleaning
15

+ Reduction in the level of complaint from local residents
+ Reduction in the number of environmental offences and hence
prosecutions by Local Authorities
+ Less time and money wasted in defending prosecutions and repairing
environmental damage
+ Reduction in the site engineer’s
workload by avoiding conflicts
16

+ Historically, many of the materials produced during
construction/operations have been subject to investigation and control,
mainly with regard to occupational hygiene and the protection of the
workforce.
+ More limited attention has been given to regulating the exposure of the
general populace to these materials when they cross the site boundary.
+ There are some exceptions to this
generalisation, asbestos for example
is covered by specific regulations.
17

+ Producing acceptable workplace conditions does not necessarily create
acceptable conditions for the
general populace beyond the site.
+ It is normal for much lower
exposure levels to be required for
the general populace, however the more vulnerable groups
need to be protected:
Especially in buildings in proximity with inhabitants such as the very
young & young , very old and infirm
18

+ Industrial Fence line / Industry (outdoor but also indoor)
• Real time monitoring allows immediate response
• Demonstrate impact on local receptors / compliance
• Corporate Social Responsibility
+ Air Quality Consultants / Engineering Offices
• Tools for deployment on multiple client projects
• Increased temporal and spatial analysis
• Baseline Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies
+ Municipal Networks
• Supplement or extend the existing reference network
• Mobile and hot spot monitoring
• Special purpose / location monitoring
+ Universities and Research
• Introduce practicalities of air quality cost effectively
• Advance epidemiological research through higher temporal and spatial resolution
19

+ Environmental (non-regulatory) monitoring
• Fugitive emissions
• Site perimeter
• Fence line
• Dust control operations
• Hazardous waste sites
• Remediation Sites
• Forest Fires
+ Process monitoring
• Mining industry
• Paper mills
• Grain mills
• Foundry process monitoring
20

Agenda
+Summary.
21

Particulate Matter (PM) Is An Air
Pollutant Based on Size
+ Particles smaller than or equal
to 10 microns (µm) diameter.
+ How small is 10 µm?
Human Hair
70 µm

Particles Come in Different Sizes
Source: Aerosol Measurement, Willeke and Baron, 1993, p.57
FINE PM COARSE
PM

PM measurement
The true measurement of particulate matter (PM)
mass concentration in ambient air is often difficult
due to the physiochemical nature of the particles
themselves and their interaction with the
measurement methodologies employed.

Particle Matter Characteristics
+ Can exist in either solid or
liquid form, or a mixture of both
+ Exist in equilibrium with their
environment
PM
Nitrates
Salts
(Na, Cl)
Aerosols
Soil
Organics
(PAH’s)
Heavy Metals
(Fe, Pb, Cd)
Dirt
Carbon (C)
Dust
Soot
Smoke
Sulfates
Particle Morphology Particle Composition
• Generally NOT unit density spheres
(often assumed for surrogate
measurement methods)
• Can exist as crystals, aggregates,
complex chains, rough surfaced
spheres, hollow spheres
Water

Particulate Matter (PM)
Mass Concentration
V
M
PMx =
Where:
PM = Particulate Matter mass concentration
[µg/m³] of particles less than x microns in
diameter
M = Mass of sampled particles
V = Volume of air sampled

Collection
Sample Inlet
•No active conditioning
– sampling at or near
ambient conditions
•Sample filter is
equilibrated to specified
T, RH% (pre-sampling
equilibration conditions)
•Sample filter is
weighed
Reference PM Methods

USEPA and European
Filter Conditioning Requirements
• USEPA PM-10
Temperature range
15 to 30 deg C
Temperature control
+/- 3 deg C
Humidity range
20 to 45% RH
Humidity control
+/- 5% RH
Conditioning period
At least 24 h
• USEPA PM-2.5
Temperature range
20 to 23 deg C
Temperature control
+/- 2 deg C
Humidity range
30 to 40% RH
Humidity control
+/- 5% RH
Conditioning period
At least 24 h
Source: PM-2.5 Weigh Room Systems, USEPA; EN12341
• EN12341 PM-10
Temperature range
20 deg C
Temperature control
+/- 1 deg C
Humidity range
50% RH
Humidity control
+/- 3% RH
Conditioning period
48 to 72 h

MCERTS
29

Reference & Equivalence - Definitions
+ Reference is the defined sampling methodology used
to gather PM indicator data. It includes a
combination of design and performance based
criteria for both the sampler and subsequent
laboratory treatment of the sample filter.
+ Equivalency is the comparison of a measurement
method to a reference method (not a primary
traceable standard).

Overview
+ Simple gravimetric air samplers developed over the
past fifty years have gradually been augmented or
replaced by continuous PM monitors to address the
growing need for better time-resolved measure of
particle-related air pollution.
+ Continuous monitor types for the measurement of
particulate matter (PM) in ambient air include inertial
microbalance, beta attenuation, and light scattering.

Direct (first principle) Methods
+Gravimetric
• Manual, gravimetric determination of mass collected on a
sample filter (e.g., laboratory balance)
+Inertial Microbalance
• Automatic, inertial determination of mass collected on a
sample filter based upon first principle
spring-mass law
• (e.g., Tapered Element Oscillating
Microbalance, TEOM®
monitor)

Inertial Microbalance
+ Accuracy: ≤ ±0.75%
+ Precision (1-hour): ±1.5 µg/m³
+ Sources of potential uncertainty:
• Near real-time mass measurement may be affected by
rapidly changing temperature or pressure conditions,
leading to increased noise in the measurement.
• Requires stable temperature and flow regime.

Inertial Microbalance
• This inertial method provides an in situ, filter-based, direct
mass measurement of PM present in ambient air by
drawing a sample down a tube to a small exchangeable
sample filter.
• The sample filter is attached to a hollow tapered tube that
is maintained in a fixed amplitude oscillatory motion.
• As particles accumulate on this sample
filter they are continuously weighed.

Indirect (surrogate) Methods
+ Beta Attenuation
+ Light Scattering photometer or OPC
Initial (factory) and onsite calibration is usually
performed against a transfer standard or using assumed
particle properties (which can change hourly, daily,
seasonally).

Beta Attenuation
• Provides a radiometric indication of the PM present in
ambient air. With this method, particle-laden air is directed
toward a sample filter (either individual filter or filter tape)
where the PM is collected.
•
• A mass determination is based upon the exponential
attenuation in the number of beta particles passing through
the filter media, collected PM and air gap between the
emitter and detector. The emitter is a radioactive source
commonly consisting of 14
C, 85
Kr, or 147
Pm.

Beta Attenuation
+ Mass Accuracy: unknown (mass transfer standard not
available)
+ Precision (1-hour): typically ±10 to over ±20 µg/m³.
• Beta attenuators are subject to error due to non-uniform filter media,
non-uniform PM deposit, changes in air density, and PM deposit
atomic number (especially presence of water vapor and lead).
• Initial (factory) calibration is often performed against a transfer
standard beta monitor that has been calibrated for a known particle
type (which can change hourly, daily, seasonally).

Light Scattering
• Provides a photometric indication of the PM present in
ambient air.
• Two types of light scatter instruments exist for this purpose:
single particle (optical particle counter) and group particle
(photometer or nephelometer).
• Both utilize a light source, sensing volume, collimating or
collecting optics, and a photomultiplier tube to sense the
scattered light.

Light Scattering
• The single particle instrument counts and sizes particles
one-by-one based upon the magnitude of the scattered light
signal as each particle passes between the light beam and
detector.
• The group particle instrument determines the relative
concentration of a population of particles in the sensing
volume by measuring the integrated scattered light
(scattering coefficient) from the particles.

Light Scattering
+ Mass Accuracy: unknown (mass transfer standard not
available)
+ Precision (1-hour): N/A
• The mass concentration response of these methods is
highly dependent upon the variation in the PM size
distribution and chemical composition.
• In addition, single particle counter instruments have
practical upper concentration limits due to particle
coincidence (dead time) considerations.

Comparisons of methods
+ Continuous PM measurement methods are often subject to
scrutiny in the following manner:
where:
Cm
is the PM mass concentration from a continuous method
Cmref
is the PM mass concentration from a gravimetric (reference) method
Ψ is the relational factor between the two methods
+ In order to assure consistency and comparability of PM mass
concentration measurements it is desirable for Ψ to be as
close to unity as possible, provided that the measurements are
made in thermodynamically equal environments.
mrefm CC Ψ=

Comparison of methods.
+ Reference-equivalent or equivalent methods are defined through
their comparability to a reference method.
+ Equivalency is the comparison of a measurement method to a
reference method (not standard).
+ Accuracy is the comparison of a measurement method to a known
standard.

+The approach used for equivalency comparison is as important as the
definition itself. Most often, continuous (candidate) method Y is
compared against gravimetric (reference) method X using a traditional
linear regression treatment.
+The ratio of PM mass concentration (continuous to gravimetric
method) versus the gravimetric method mass concentration can
indicate issues related to the consistency of calibration.

Supplementing routine ambient air
monitoring networks
• Better spatial coverage
• Expanding conversations with
communities
• Enhancing source compliance
monitoring
• Monitoring personal exposures
The Changing Paradigm of Air Monitoring,
Snyder et al, ES&T – October 2013

“Current sophisticated, expensive
ambient air pollution monitoring
technology is not economically
sustainable as the sole approach and
cannot keep up with current needs.”
Draft Roadmap for Next Generation Air
Monitoring, US EPA – March 2013

Near-reference
Supplementary
Stations
Cost: €€€€
Data quality: A
Emerging Strategies
Existing
Strategy
Indicative
monitors
Cost: €€
Data quality: B
Reference
stations
Cost: €€€€€€€€
Data quality: A+
Citizen science
Cost: €
Data quality: ?
Higher number of units
Lower
price

The data from the EDT is of sufficient precision and quality to
compliment existing air pollution monitors and networks

What are the Goals for
PM Quantification?
Continuous PM Monitoring in Air Quality Networks
+ Match the integrated reference (FRM) technique
+ Minimize cross-interference by humidity, thermodynamic
conditions, gas composition
+ Use measurement methods that are NIST (primary standard)
traceable
+ Provide representative short-term data for public reporting (air
quality index, mapping, forecasting), health effects studies, and
for control strategy development

Why are these goals difficult to achieve?
+ PM is the only criteria air pollutant not defined by its molecular
composition
+ Particle-bound water can make up a large fraction of PM mass
+ Certain PM constituents can volatilize at ambient temperatures
+ The time-integrated “reference method” is not a scientific
standard - only a method (indicator)

Agenda
+Summary.
50

Air quality papers and research.
+ Department of Environment, Food &
Rural Affairs. (DEFRA)
+ The government strategy for
improvements in air quality.
+ Available at:
+ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2010-to-2015-government-policy-enviro
51

+ Institute of Air Quality
management.
+ The Institute of Air Quality Management
(IAQM) is committed to enhancing the
understanding and development of the
science behind air quality by promoting
knowledge and understanding of best
working practices. Constructing
buildings, roads and other infrastructure
can have a substantial, temporary impact
on local air quality. The most common
impacts are increased particulate matter
(PM) concentrations and dust soiling.
52

+ Greater London Authority –
Control of dust and emissions
updated in 2014
+ This best practice guidance forms
part of the Government’s Air Quality
Strategy with London local
authorities having a responsibility to
regularly to review and assess air
quality and work towards achieving
the air quality objectives set for
various pollutants.
53

Agenda
+Summary.
54

Guideline & Regulation.
Source: EU Directive:2008/50/EC “Air Quality Directive”
55

+ Data quality
objectives for
ambient air quality
assessment
Source: EU Directive:
2008/50/EC “Air Quality
Directive”
56

57
Criteria for number of monitoring stations:

+ Upper and lower assessment thresholds
58

Guideline & regulation.
59
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1
82392/air-quality-legally-binding-objective.pdf

Guideline and Regulation.
+ Greater London Authority –
Control of dust and emissions
updated in 2014
+ New London Mayor quoted:
“I have been elected with a clear
mandate to clean up London’s
air - our biggest environmental
challenge,” Khan said at a school
in east London.
60

+ Obligations of developer for Human and Ecological receptors:
+ 50m of boundary of site
+ 50m of route used by construction traffic up to 500m from site.
61

+ Increasing need for
near reference real time
monitoring.
+ Online - always accessible data
+ Alarm systems for
pro-active actions.
62

63
Increasing public awareness of the
issue via media exposure.
Increasing pressure from central
government for enforcement by
local authorities.
Vigilance of local Environmental
Health Officers (EHO)
Increasing pressures for real time monitoring with alarms rather than just data
logging.
Updated DEFRA guidelines published Sept 2015.

Agenda
+Summary.
64

Summary.
65
+ Many reasons for Environmental monitoring both for
human and environment considerations.
+ Increasing focus from media, regulatory and legislative
bodies.
+ Increasing need for combination of Reference and near
reference, real time monitoring across multiple
parameters.

Environmental Dust Monitoring

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