Dennis R. Fitz

Characterizing the range of children's air pollutant exposure during school bus commutes

Real-time and integrated measurements of gaseous and particulate pollutants were conducted inside five conventional diesel school buses, a diesel bus with a particulate trap, and a bus powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) to determine the range of childrens exposures during school bus commutes and conditions leading to high exposures. Measurements were made during 24 morning and afternoon commutes on two Los Angeles Unified School District bus routes from South to West Los Angeles, with seven additional runs on a rural/suburban route, and three runs to test the effect of window position. For these commutes, the mean concentrations of diesel vehicle-related pollutants ranged from 0.9 to 19 μg/m3 for black carbon, 23 to 400 ng/m3 for particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PB-PAH), and 64 to 220 μg/m3 for NO2. Concentrations of benzene and formaldehyde ranged from 0.1 to 11 μg/m3 and 0.3 to 5 μg/m3, respectively. The highest real-time concentrations of black carbon, PB-PAH and NO2 inside the buses were 52 μg/m3, 2000 ng/m3, and 370 μg/m3, respectively. These pollutants were significantly higher inside conventional diesel buses compared to the CNG bus, although formaldehyde concentrations were higher inside the CNG bus. Mean black carbon, PB-PAH, benzene and formaldehyde concentrations were higher when the windows were closed, compared with partially open, in part, due to intrusion of the buss own exhaust into the bus cabin, as demonstrated through the use of a tracer gas added to each buss exhaust. These same pollutants tended to be higher on urban routes compared to the rural/suburban route, and substantially higher inside the bus cabins compared to ambient measurements. Mean concentrations of pollutants with substantial secondary formation, such as PM2.5, showed smaller differences between open and closed window conditions and between bus routes. Type of bus, traffic congestion levels, and encounters with other diesel vehicles contributed to high exposure variability between runs.

Relative importance of school bus-related microenvironments to children's pollutant exposure.

Abstract Real‐time concentrations of black carbon, particle‐bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nitrogen dioxide, and fine particulate counts, as well as integrated and real‐time fine particulate matter (PM2.5) mass concentrations were measured inside school buses during long commutes on Los Angeles Unified School District bus routes, at bus stops along the routes, at the bus loading/unloading zone in front of the selected school, and at nearby urban “background” sites. Across all of the pollutants, mean concentrations during bus commutes were higher than in any other microenvironment. Mean exposures (mean concentration times time spent in a particular microenvironment) in bus commutes were between 50 and 200 times greater than those for the loading/unloading microenvironment, and 20–40 times higher than those for the bus stops, depending on the pollutant. Although the analyzed school bus commutes represented only 10% of a child’s day, on average they contributed one‐third of a child’s 24‐hr overall black carbon exposure during a school day. For species closely related to vehicle exhaust, the within‐cabin exposures were generally dominated by the effect of surrounding traffic when windows were open and by the bus’s own exhaust when windows were closed. Low‐emitting buses generally exhibited high concentrations only when traveling behind a diesel vehicle, whereas high‐emitting buses exhibited high concentrations both when following other diesel vehicles and when idling without another diesel vehicle in front of the bus. To reduce school bus commute exposures, we recommend minimizing commute times, avoiding caravanning with other school buses, using the cleanest buses for the longest bus routes, maintaining conventional diesel buses to eliminate visible emissions, and transitioning to cleaner fuels and advanced particulate control technologies as soon as possible.

Evaluation of Watering to Control Dust in High Winds

ABSTRACT A field study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of watering in controlling PM10 emissions under high wind conditions. The focus of the study was the pickup of soil by a belly scraper at a landfill. Four low-volume PM10 samplers were positioned downwind of the storage pile (at two distances, 80 and 110 m, and two elevations, 1 and 3 m) and one was located upwind at 3 m elevation. Integrating nephelometers, which measure the particu-late light scattering coefficient, bsp, were also set up at locations 80 and 110 m downwind of the storage pile. Wind speed and direction were measured on-site. Samples were collected for two periods, one with and one without water being applied. Watering was effective at reducing PM10 emissions at wind speeds up to the maximum 18 m sec-1 observed at the landfill soil pickup operation. Measurement of bsp provided an indication of PM10 concentrations with better time resolution than samplers, but not with sufficient resolution, under the instrumental conditions used, to correlate with wind gusts.

Enhancement of Photochemical Smog by N,N'-Diethylhydroxylamine in Polluted Ambient Air

A recent proposal for controlling photochemical smog by the addition to ambient air of 0.03 to 0.05 part per million of diethylhydroxylamine (DEHA) is shown to be invalid. The addition of DEHA in the range of 0.05 to 0.5 part per million to ambient air irradiated with sunlight in a dual outdoor environmental chamber caused marked increases in the rates of formation and concentrations of ozone, peroxyacetyl nitrate, and light-scattering particles.

Determination of PM10 Emission Rates from Street Sweepers

ABSTRACT The use of street sweepers to clean paved roads, particularly after high-wind events, has been proposed as a PM10 control method. Using an artificial tunnel, the emission rates for several street sweepers were quantified under actual operating conditions. The tunnel was a tent enclosure, 6.1 × 4.3 × 73 m, open on both ends. PM10 concentrations were measured at the inlet and outlet while a sweeper removed sand deposited along the length. Measurements were made using a specialized low-volume filter sampler and an integrating nephelometer. The volume of air passing through the tunnel was measured by releasing an inert tracer, sulfur hexafluoride, at the inlet and measuring its concentration at the outlet. A large difference in emission rates between vacuum-type sweepers was observed, with rates varying from 5 to 100 mg m-1 swept. For the cleanest sweepers, the background rates (collected by sweeping clean pavement) were about half of the total PM10 emission rate. These background emission rates likely were from diesel exhaust; background rates for the single gasoline-powered sweeper were below detection. Particle light scattering data confirmed the filter collection results. The artificial tunnel approach would be useful in measuring total emissions from other mobile and stationary sources.

Investigation of filtration artifacts when sampling ambient particulate matter for mutagen assay

Abstract An ultra-high volume ambient particulate sampler capable of collecting four identical samples was used to investigate filtration artifacts which may affect mutagen assays. During five sampling episodes variables employed included filter material (glass, quartz, Teflon and Teflon-impregnated glass fiber), sampling interval (3–12 h) and the re-exposure to varying concentrations of gaseous pollutants. Filters were extracted with an equi-volume mixture of dichloromethane, toluene and methanol and extracts subjected to Salmonella /mammalian microsome mutagenicity testing employing strain TA98. From this somewhat limited data set, no large differences were observed which could be attributed to filtration artifacts.

Diurnal mutagenicity of airborne particulate organic matter adjacent to a heavily traveled West Los Angeles freeway

The bacterial mutagenicity of ambient particulate organic matter (POM) was measured for consecutive 3-hour time intervals over a 27-hour period in March 1983 at two sites on opposite sides of the heavily traveled San Diego Freeway (I-405) in West Los Angeles (WLA), California, the diurnal variations in the direct (not requiring S9 metabolic activation) mutagenic burden of airborne particulates and the magnitude of the mutagen doses observed at these sites were similar to those previously observed at a site just east of downtown Los Angeles (ELA). Highs (∼150 rev m−3) and lows (∼35 rev m−3) in mutagen densities occurred over short time intervals (a few hours) probably due to changes in emissions, mixing heights and wind speeds. Offshore air flows which drained the air basin between midnight and 0600 PST resulted in elevated mutagen density levels at the western edge of the Los Angeles Basjn. The incremental burden of direct mutagens in respirable POM attributable to freeway traffic reached 50 rev m−3 durin...

Measurement of NOY during the SCOS97-NARSTO

Abstract Dual converter NOY analyzers configured to also measure nitric acid were evaluated under laboratory conditions, smog chamber simulations, and during ambient monitoring. Commercial molybdenum metal converters in the NOY configuration were found to be capable of converting all major NOY species to NO under laboratory testing conditions. Some converters required higher-temperature set points than received from the manufacturer and several converters did not achieve 95% efficiency at the highest temperature allowed by the manufacturer (380°C). They also exhibited varying degrees of efficiency for oxidizing ammonia to NO depending on previous usage, but not operating temperature. After the field measurement program, the efficiency for converting nitric acid was found to be variable during smog chamber measurements. This was ascribed to degradation of the converter under field measurement conditions. The ambient measurement program showed a significant memory effect that contributed to a positive NOY measurement bias. The magnitude of this memory effect appeared to be related to the degree of ambient concentrations of pollutants being sampled. Ambient nitric acid measurements determined from the dual converter approach were related to those from a tunable diode laser absorption spectrometer although the correlation was not high. The variable converter efficiency for ammonia may lead to negative biases when measuring nitric acid.

A passive flux denuder for evaluating emissions of ammonia at a dairy farm.

Abstract Passive samplers have been shown to be an inexpensive alternative to direct sampling. Diffusion denuders have been developed to measure the concentration of species such as ammonia (NH3), which is in equilibrium with particulate ammonium nitrate. Conventional denuder sampling that inherently requires air pumps and, therefore, electrical power. To estimate emissions of NH3 from a fugitive source would require an array of active samplers and meteorological measurements to estimate the flux. A recently developed fabric denuder was configured in an open tube to passively sample NH3 flux. Passive and active samplers were collocated at a dairy farm at the California State University, Fresno, Agricultural Research Facility. During this comparison study, NH3 flux measurements were made at the dairy farm lagoon before and after the lagoon underwent acidification. Comparisons were made of the flux measurements obtained directly from the passive flux denuder and those calculated from an active filter pack sampler and wind velocity. The results show significant correlation between the two methods, although a correction factor needed to be applied to directly compare the two techniques. This passive sampling approach significantly reduces the cost and complexity of sampling and has the potential to economically develop a larger inventory base for ambient NH3 emissions.

Infrared absorptivity of the 9.6 μm ozone band as a function of spectral resolution and abundance

Abstract The i.r. absorptivity of the R -branch maximum (9.48 μm) of gaseous ozone was determined at 25°C as a function of spectral resolution and absorbance a/a total pressure of 735 torr of dry air. Ozone samples produced by a high voltage discharge in oxygen, and measured accurately by either a pressure or volume change, were spectroscopically measured in a 57741. environmental chamber at paths up to 69.17 m. A linear relation between spectral slit (Δ v ) and the ratio of the absorbances ( R v/p ) of the observed absorption minimum between the R and Q branches to the absorption maximum of the R -branch was found for cm -1 v -1 and for absorption up to 48%. The i.r. absorptivity varied approx. 20% (from 3.9 to 4.8 cm -1 STP) over the range of values for R v/p studied. Absorptivity was weakly dependent on ozone abundance ( w ) for w ⩽0.03 cm STP.