Abstract
Polyurethane foam passive air samplers (PUF-PAS) are the most common type of passive air sampler used for a range of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), including regulated persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and emerging contaminants (e.g., novel flame retardants, phthalates, current-use pesticides). Data from PUF-PAS are key indicators of effectiveness of global regulatory actions on SVOCs, such as the Global Monitoring Plan of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. While most PUF-PAS use similar double-dome metal shielding, there is no standardized dome size, shape, or deployment configuration, with many different PUF-PAS designs used in regional and global monitoring. Yet, no information is available on the comparability of data from studies using different PUF-PAS designs. We brought together 12 types of PUF-PAS used by different research groups around the world and deployed them in a multi-part intercomparison to evaluate the variability in reported concentrations introduced by different elements of PAS monitoring. PUF-PAS were deployed for 3 months in outdoor air in Kjeller, Norway in 2015–2016 in three phases to capture (1) the influence of sampler design on data comparability, (2) the influence of analytical variability when samplers are analyzed at different laboratories, and (3) the overall variability in global monitoring data introduced by differences in sampler configurations and analytical methods. Results indicate that while differences in sampler design (in particular, the spacing between the upper and lower sampler bowls) account for up to 50 % differences in masses collected by samplers, the variability introduced by analysis in different laboratories far exceeds this amount, resulting in differences spanning orders of magnitude for POPs and PAHs. The high level of variability due to analysis in different laboratories indicates that current SVOC air sampling data (i.e., not just for PUF-PAS but likely also for active air sampling) are not directly comparable between laboratories/monitoring programs. To support on-going efforts to mobilize more SVOC data to contribute to effectiveness evaluation, intercalibration exercises to account for uncertainties in air sampling, repeated at regular intervals, must be established to ensure analytical comparability and avoid biases in global-scale assessments of SVOCs in air caused by differences in laboratory performance.
Highlights
Long-term global data on atmospheric levels of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as poly chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), are a fundamental need in efforts to reduce emissions and minimize human and environmental exposure. This need has been formalized in the requirements of inter national actions, such as the Stockholm Convention on POPs (Articles 11 and 16) implemented through the Global Monitoring Plan (GMP), the UNECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP), and the development of a Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) to increase our understanding of global processes and to underpin decision-making through sharing of accessible, high quality interoperable environmental data
Results for Phase 2 indicate the extent of variability between SVOC measurements introduced by differences in transport, laboratory handling and analysis of PUF disks
Phase 1 of this international intercomparison revealed that varia tions in the double-dome PAS housings used by different research groups contributes relatively little to uncertainties in sampled masses of PCBs, PAHs, PBDEs, and OCPs for a 3-month deployment, with differences in reported masses due to Polyurethane foam passive air samplers (PUF-PAS) sampler configurations not exceeding 50 %
Summary
Long-term global data on atmospheric levels of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as poly chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), are a fundamental need in efforts to reduce emissions and minimize human and environmental exposure This need has been formalized in the requirements of inter national actions, such as the Stockholm Convention on POPs (Articles 11 and 16) implemented through the Global Monitoring Plan (GMP), the UNECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP), and the development of a Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) to increase our understanding of global processes and to underpin decision-making through sharing of accessible, high quality interoperable environmental data. Despite the intended goal of global-scale comparability, differences in analytical methods and sampler configurations between institutes and monitoring programs may affect performance (Holt et al, 2017; Markovic et al, 2015; Roscales et al, 2018b) and decrease the comparability of inter national monitoring data (Su and Hung, 2010)
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