A Low-Level Air Sampling and Meteorological Sounding System

A captive-balloon borne radio transmitting device measuring temperature and humidity at desired levels in the lower thousand feet of the atmosphere over a city is described. A companion device which captures a sample of air at a desired altitude and a method of later determining trace gas concentrations in the sample is presented. Temperature, humidity, and methane concentrations in air samples taken above Cincinnati were-determined and are presented as examples of the system’s capabilities.     

The Use of Meteorological Towers in Urban Air Pollution Programs

Urban air pollution studies frequently require the use of data from meteorological towers. This paper discusses the relevance and application of such data. Wind and vertical temperature difference observations from towers in Montreal, Sarnia, and Ottawa are analyzed and compared. The question of horizontal homogeneity is considered and conclusions are drawn concerning the most suitable location for a meteorological tower.     

Development and Use of a Disaggregated Emissions Inventory for Air Quality Planning in Washington,DC

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) is responsible for developing an Air Quality Plan which will produce attainment of the O₃ and 8 h CO standards in the Washington area by 1987. In order to define as precisely as possible the sources of emissions in the area, a disaggregated emissions inventory was prepared. For mobile sources, this included classification of vehicle type, portion of the trip cycle, and purpose of trip. For nonhighway sources, individual source types were identified. All emissions were assigned to 5 km × 5 km grids and summed to obtain local, state, and/or regional totals. The inventory, although expensive and time-consuming, is a useful tool for decision makers who are responsible for implementing measures to control emissions.     

Sample Design Considerations for Indoor Air Exposure Surveys

Concern about the potential for indoor air pollution has prompted recent surveys of radon and NO₂ concentrations In homes and personal exposure studies of volatile organics, carbon monoxide and pesticides, to name a few. The statistical problems in designing sample surveys that measure the physical environment are diverse and more complicated than those encountered in traditional surveys of human attitudes and attributes. This paper addresses issues encountered when designing indoor air quality (IAQ) studies. General statistical concepts related to target population definition, frame creation, and sample selection for area household surveys and telephone surveys are presented. The implications of different measurement approaches are discussed, and response rate considerations are described.     

Industrial Planning for Air Pollution Control

Seven general planning concepts for air pollution control are presented for industry’s consideration in this text of a speech delivered at the Air Pollution Control Workshop, New England Conference on Urban Planning for Environmental Health, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, September 9, 1965.     

Traffic and Meteorological Impacts on Near-Road Air Quality: Summary of Methods and Trends from the Raleigh Near-Road Study

Abstract

A growing number of epidemiological studies conducted worldwide suggest an increase in the occurrence of adverse health effects in populations living, working, or going to school near major roadways. A study was designed to assess traffic emissions impacts on air quality and particle toxicity near a heavily traveled highway. In an attempt to describe the complex mixture of pollutants and atmospheric transport mechanisms affecting pollutant dispersion in this near-highway environment, several real-time and time-integrated sampling devices measured air quality concentrations at multiple distances and heights from the road. Pollutants analyzed included U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-regulated gases, particulate matter (coarse, fine, and ultrafine), and air toxics. Pollutant measurements were synchronized with real-time traffic and meteorological monitoring devices to provide continuous and integrated assessments of the variation of near-road air pollutant concentrations and particle toxicity with changing traffic and environmental conditions, as well as distance from the road. Measurement results demonstrated the temporal and spatial impact of traffic emissions on near-road air quality. The distribution of mobile source emitted gas and particulate pollutants under all wind and traffic conditions indicated a higher proportion of elevated concentrations near the road, suggesting elevated exposures for populations spending significant amounts of time in this microenvironment. Diurnal variations in pollutant concentrations also demonstrated the impact of traffic activity and meteorology on near-road air quality. Time-resolved measurements of multiple pollutants demonstrated that traffic emissions produced a complex mixture of criteria and air toxic pollutants in this microenvironment. These results provide a foundation for future assessments of these data to identify the relationship of traffic activity and meteorology on air quality concentrations and population exposures.     

Ozone Air Quality Models

Abstract

The field of ozone air quality modeling, or as it is commonly referred to, photochemical air quality modeling, has undergone rapid change in recent years. Improvements in model components, as well as in methods of interpreting model performance, have contributed to this change. Attendant with this rapid change has been a growing need for those developing and using air quality models and policy makers to have a common understanding of the use and role of models in the decision making process. This Critical Review highlights recent advances and continuing problem areas in photochemical air quality modeling. Emphasis is placed on the components and input data for such models, model performance evaluation, and the implications for their use in regulatory decisions.     

Standards for Air Quality in California

Abstract

During the 1950s and 1960s, hundreds of thousands of underground storage tanks (and above-ground storage tanks) containing petroleum products and hazardous chemicals were installed. Many of these tanks either have been abandoned or have exceeded their useful lives and are leaking, thereby posing a serious threat to the nation’s surface and groundwater supplies, as well as to public health. Cleaning up releases of petroleum hydrocarbons or other organic chemicals in the subsurface environment is a real-world problem,

Biological treatment of hydrocarbon-contaminated soil is considered to be a relatively low-cost and safe technology; however, its potential for effectively treating recalcitrant wastes has not been fully explored. For millions of years, microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, actinomycete, protozoa, and others have performed the function of recycling organic matter from which new plant life can grow.

This paper examines the biological treatment technology for cleaning up petroleum product-contaminated soils, with special emphasis on microbial enzyme systems for enhancing the rate of biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons. Classifications and functions of enzymes, as well as the microbes, in degrading the organic contaminants are discussed. In addition, the weathering effect on biodegradation, types of hydrocarbon degraders, advantages associated with enzyme use, methods of enzyme extraction, and future research needs for development and evaluation of enzyme-assisted bioremediation are examined.     

Air Quality Control Equipment Guarantees

The purpose of this paper is to discuss considerations regarding guarantees of air quality control equipment. Topics include specification design parameters to cover ranges of expected operating conditions, negotiation of performance guarantees, design changes during construction, reliability, performance testing and comparison of test conditions to the worst expected conditions for which the guarantees apply. Comments are also offered regarding corrective actions in event the guarantees are not complied with.     

Federal Activity in Developing Air Quality Criteria

The author will describe the program of the Division of Air Pollution for developing air quality criteria and the present state of preparation of documents covering criteria for two broad classes of contaminants—the oxides of sulfur and photochemical oxidants. The preparation and content of these documents are briefly reported.