Knowledge of the principles and practices related to long term systematic atmospheric monitoring of pollutants in ambient air.

What is ambient air and ambient air monitoring?

"Ambient air" is the outside air that we all breathe- the portion of the atmosphere, external to buildings, to which the general public has access. Ambient Monitoring is the systematic, long-term assessment of pollutant levels by measuring the quantity and types of certain pollutants in the surrounding, outdoor air. Ambient levels are the actual concentration of a pollutant in the air. They are usually reported in parts per million (ppm), parts per billion (ppb), or micrograms or nanograms per cubic metre (µg or ng/m3).

What does a CAPMoN station monitor?

1. Precipitation chemistry sampling for determining concentrations of acidifying pollutants and major water-soluble inorganic ions (24-hour integrated samples), and mercury (7-day integrated samples). Concentrations of these compounds in precipitation are used to calculate their wet deposition; 2. Integrated air sampling (24-hour integrated samples) of coarse and fine particulate matter (PM) mass (on a 1 day in 3 schedule), chemical speciation of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and non-size selective particles and gases (filterpack samples) for determining dry deposition using inferential modeling techniques. 3. Continuous air sampling of ground level ozone, total gaseous mercury, PM2.5 mass, and reactive nitrogen species (only at selected sites). Continuous measurements are collected every minute and reported as hourly averages.

Has air quality improved since NAPS first started measuring levels of air pollutants in 1970?

Yes. Since 1970 lead concentrations have decreased by 97%. Sulphur dioxide levels have decreased by 96% since 1970. From 1970 to 2008 particulate matter has decreased by over 50% in ambient air. Volatile organic compounds, including benzene, have declined significantly since measurements started in 1990. These trends all suggest that air quality has improved.

What is manual air sampling and why is it better than automated sampling in some cases?

In manual sampling, filters or canisters are placed in the field by technicians for a discrete period of time (such as 24 hours), and then sent to registered laboratories where they are weighed and analyzed to determine their content. Manual sampling is preferred in some cases because it is easier and less expensive than continuous, automatic sampling, while producing equally valuable results.

How is ambient air quality generally monitoring and what parameters are the most common?

Includes permanent monitoring stations in communities, mobile instrumentation (e.g. on a truck or airplane), and industrial stack monitoring. These monitoring stations measure the presence of contaminants in the air, such as carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), sulphur dioxide (SO2), and hydrogen sulphide (H2S).

What are some of the important roles NAPS plays in the monitoring and assessment of Canadian ambient air?

NAPS data can be used to assess air quality trends to see if air quality is improving or deteriorating. The data are also interpreted to determine the effectiveness of regulations designed to reduce air pollution. NAPS collects air quality data to share with researchers, regulators and policy-makers in order to assess the impacts of air quality on health and the environment. The information gathered by NAPS supports strategies to reduce air emissions and manage air quality, such as the Canada-wide Standards for Particulate Matter and Ozone, and theCanada-US Air Quality Agreement. The data provided by NAPS also support public information tools, such as the AQHI and the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators.

When was NAPS established and who participates?

NAPS was established in 1969 to monitor and assess the quality of ambient (outdoor) air in the populated regions of Canada. NAPS is managed using a cooperative agreement among the provinces, territories and some municipal governments. Today there are 286 sites in 203 communities located in every province and territory.

How do continuous monitoring stations work?

Stations are equipped with data analyzers that draw air in through various tubes for continuous analysis. These analyzers are attached to data acquisition systems, called data loggers. A central computer then draws information from (polls) the data loggers and incorporates these measurements into its databases.

What is the CAPMoN and its objectives?

The Canadian Air and Precipitation Monitoring Network (CAPMoN) monitors atmospheric pollutants in air and precipitation across Canada. The objectives of the network are to: 1. determine spatial patterns and establish temporal trends of pollutants 2. provide information for atmospheric model evaluations and effects research 3. ensure the compatibility of federal, provincial, U.S. and global measurements 4. study atmospheric processes; and 5. provide real-time information for air quality forecasts. There are 30 monitoring sites which are predominantly located in central and eastern Canada. All sites are in rural or remote areas and are designed to be regionally representative (away from local emission sources).

What is NAPS and what is it`s primary goal?

The goal of the National Air Pollution Surveillance (NAPS) program is to provide accurate and long-term air quality data of a uniform standard across Canada.

What are the primary air pollutants that are monitored?

The primary air pollutants are sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOX), particulate matter (PM), ozone (O3), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and gaseous ammonia (NH3). Ozone and particulate matter are the air pollutants of most concern; they can cause negative health effects at any level of concentration.

What does NAPS measure and who uses the information and for what?

Today sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, fine particulate matter and carbon monoxide are continuously monitored. These measurements are used by the provinces to report the Air Quality Index (AQI) and by Environment Canada to report the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI). With a continuous dataset from the 1970s to today, NAPS data can be used to assess air quality trends to see if air quality is improving or deteriorating. The data are also interpreted to determine the effectiveness of regulations designed to reduce air pollution.

What are some of the manual instruments to collect and measure air quality data?

•Single Channel 16.7l/m (PM2.5 and PM10) monitors •Dichotomous (Coarse and Fine PM) monitors •Speciation monitors •Volatile Organic Compound monitors (VOCs) •PAH monitors •Passive samplers

What are the names of some of the automated instruments to collect and measure air quality data?

•Tempered Element Oscillating Microbalance (TEOM) (PM2.5 and PM10) •Beta Attenuated Monitoring (BAM) (PM2.5) •UV Photometry (ozone) •Chemiluminscence (nitrogen dioxide) •UV Fluorescence (sulphur dioxide) •Nondispersive Infrared Photometry (carbon monoxide) •Pulsed Fluorescence (total reduced sulphur or H2S)

How are air samples collected as part of NAPS and how many types of chemical contaminants can be analyzed?

Filter media and foam plugs are used to collect air samples that are analyzed for chemical contaminants that are harmful to human health and the environment. Various techniques are used to analyze these samples for more than 340 types of chemicals at typical urban NAPS sites.

What are ambient air quality measurements are used for in Canada?

•to determine as well as predict the human health and environmental impact of air pollution, such as through the Air Quality Health Index. •to enable Canadians to understand how the air quality around them may impact their health. •to establish a baseline for air quality and to determine long term trends, which requires comparable, high quality data from the same sites over long periods of time. •to track progress of policy, regulatory and strategic decisions at local and national levels. •to support the reporting of Canadian Environmental Sustainability indicators. •to contribute data and information to science and risk assessments such as the Smog, Priority Substances List and Chemicals Management Plan assessments. •to identify emerging air quality issues and identify contributing sources and apportion emissions by source category or by region or country. •to validate air quality models developed by Environment Canada such as the Global Environmental Multi-scale - Modelling air quality and CHemistry (GEM-MACH) and for atmospheric processes research. •as a basis for key national and international agreements, such as the Canada-U.S. Air Quality Agreement, Canada-Wide Standards for Particulate Matter and for Ozone.