Ozone Measurements in South Carolina Using Passive Samplers

Abstract

Passive samplers with two different collection substrates were used to obtain an average ozone concentration for 1 month during the summer of 2002 for each South Carolina county. One sampler contained a filter coated with indigo carmine, whose color fades when exposed to ozone. The fading was measured by reflectance spectroscopy. The other sampler contained filters that were coated with nitrite, which is oxidized to nitrate when exposed to ozone. The nitrate was measured by ion chromatography. Calibration curves were developed for the two methods by comparing color fading from indigo carmine and nitrate ion concentration from the nitrite filter with ambient ozone concentration measured by a co-located reference continuous UV ozone analyzer. These curves were used to calculate integrated ozone concentrations for samplers distributed across South Carolina. Using the indigo carmine method, the average ozone concentrations ranged from 21 to 64 ppb (average = 46 ± 7.9 ppb, n = 58) across the 46 counties in the state during one summer month of 2002. Concentrations for the same time period from the nitrite-coated filters ranged from 23 to 62 ppb (average = 41 ± 8.1 ppb, n = 58). Also for the same time period, the 23 continuous UV photometric ozone monitors operated by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control at sites within 10 miles of some of the passive monitors showed ozone concentrations ranging from 28 to 50 ppb (average = 39 ± 6.3 ppb, n = 22).