Estudio de las concentraciones de ozono superficial en la atmósfera de la Comunidad de Madrid usando muestreadores pasivos

The ozone is a secondary atmospheric pollutant which is generated for photochemical reactions of volatil organic compounds (VOC’s) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). In Spain the ozone is a big problem as a consequence of the solar radiation to reach high levels. Exposure over a period of time to elevated ozone concentrations can cause damage in the public health and alterations in the vegetation.The aim of this study is to carry out the development and validation of a measurement method to let asses the superficial ozone levels in the Comunidad de Madrid, by identifing the zones more significants, where to measure with UV photometric monitors (automatics methods) this pollutant and where the health and the vegetation can be affected. To such effect, passive samplers are used, which have glass fiber filters coated with a solution of sodium nitrite, potassium carbonate, glycerol and water. The nitrite ion in the presence of ozone is oxidized to nitrato ion, which it is extrated with ultrapure water and analyzed for ion chromatography, by seen proportional to the concentration existing in the sampling point.The results of validation from field tests indicate a excellent correlation between the passive and the automatic method.The higher superficial ozone concentrations are placed in rural zones, distanced of emission focus of primary pollutants (nitrogen oxides and volatil organic compounds...) principally in direction soutwest and northwest of the Comunidad of Madrid.El ozono es un contaminante atmosférico secundario formado por reacciones fotoquímicas de compuestos orgánicos volátiles (COV) y óxidos de nitrógeno (NOx). En España, el ozono es un gran problema como consecuencia de los altos niveles alcanzados por la radiación solar. Exposiciones periódicas a concentraciones elevadas de ozono, pueden causar daños en la salud pública y alteraciones en la vegetación.El objetivo del presente estudio es desarrollar y validar un método de medida que permita evaluar los niveles de ozono superficial en la Comunidad de Madrid, identificando las áreas más significativas, donde posteriormente medir en forma continua este contaminante y en donde la salud y la vegetación se pueden ver afectados. Para ello se utilizan muestreadores pasivos, los cuáles disponen de filtros de fibra de vidrio impregnados con una disolución de nitrito sódico, carbonato potásico, glicerol y agua. El ión nitrito en presencia de ozono es oxidado a ión nitrato, el cuál se analiza, después de su extracción con agua ultrapura, por cromatografía iónica, siendo proporcional a la concentración de ozono existente en el punto de muestreo.Los resultados de validación, a partir de ensayos de campo, muestran una excelente correlación entre muestreadores pasivos y el método de referencia automático.Las mayores concentraciones de ozono superficial se localizan en zonas rurales, alejadas de focos emisores de contaminantes primarios (óxidos de nitrógeno, compuestos orgánicos volátiles...), principalmente en dirección suroeste y noroeste de la Comunidad de Madrid

Mejora de la calidad de las medidas de ozono mediante un fotómetro UV de referencia

The Directive 92/72/CE makes reference to the analysis method described in the UNE 77-221:2000 and to the fact that the ozone analyzers shall be calibrated with a UV reference photometer or with a transfer standard.From the need of developing a procedure that assure the quality and the trazability of the measurements in Spain, the Atmospheric Pollution Area has decided to implant a NIST UV reference photometer as ozone national standard.Taking into account the procedures used by EPA and NIST, a verification procedure has been developed consistent in the realization of 6 comparisons of the Transfer Standard versus NIST UV reference photometer in different days; at least 5 different ozone concentrations are analyzed. Each comparison begins and ends always with a concentration of 0 ppb of O3, and from each comparison its regression linear is obtained.Once the 6 comparisons are done, the calibration relationship is obtained and the uncertainty associated with the transfer standard is calculated.Until now, the verifications of 17 transfer standards have been done: 11 of them were UV photometers, 2 were ozone generators and 4 were ozone generators of dilution banks.From the results is concluded that generally the uncertainties of the ozone generators are greater than those of the UV photometers, so being recommended this one like transfer standard.To emphasize that with the utilization of the tranfer standards for the calibration of ozone analyzers, the quality and the trazability of the generated data are guaranteed.La Directiva 92/72/CE hace referencia al método de análisis descrito en la UNE 77-221:2000 y a que los analizadores de ozono se deben calibrar con un fotómetro UV de referencia o con un patrón transferido.De la necesidad de desarrollar un procedimiento que asegure la calidad y la trazabilidad de las mediciones en España, el Área de Contaminación Atmosférica ha decidido implantar un fotómetro UV de referencia NIST como patrón de ozono.Teniendo en cuenta los procedimientos empleados por EPA y NIST, se ha desarrollado un procedimiento de verificación consistente en la realización de 6 comparaciones del Patrón Transferido frente al Fotómetro UV de Referencia NIST, en días diferentes, analizándose, como mínimo, 5 concentraciones de ozono diferentes. Cada comparación se inicia y se finaliza siempre con una concentración de 0 ppb de O3. De cada comparación se obtiene una regresión lineal.Una vez realizadas las 6 comparaciones se obtiene la Recta de calibración y se calcula la incertidumbre asociada al patrón transferido.Se ha realizado la verificación de 17 patrones transferidos de los que 11 son fotómetros UV, 2 son generadores de ozono y 4 son generadores de ozono de bancos de dilución.De los resultados se concluye que las incertidumbres de los generadores de ozono, en general, son mayores que las de los fotómetros UV, recomendándose estos últimos como patrones transferidos.Destacar que mediante la utilización de los patrones transferidos para la calibración de analizadores de ozono se garantiza tanto la calidad como la trazabilidad de los datos generados

Levels of carbonaceous aerosols in remote, rural, urban and industrial sites of Spain

Comunicación presentada en: 2012 European Aerosol Conference (EAC-2012), B-WG01S2P30, celebrada del 2 al 7 de septiembre de 2012 en Granada.This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (VAMOS CGL2010-19464/CLI; DAURE CGL2007-30502-E/CLI, GRACCIE- CSD2007-00067), the Ministry of the Economy Competitivity, the Generalitat de Catalunya, Gobierno de Canarias and Junta de Andalucía

Variability of carbonaceous aerosols in remote, rural, urban and industrial environments in Spain: implications for air quality policy

We interpret here the variability of levels of carbonaceous aerosols based on a 12 yr database from 78 monitoring stations across Spain specially compiled for this article. Data did not evidence any spatial trends of carbonaceous aerosols across the country. Conversely, results show marked differences in average concentrations from the cleanest, most remote sites (around 1 μg m-3 of non-mineral carbon (nmC), mostly made of organic carbon (OC) with very little elemental carbon (EC), around 0.1 μg m-3; OC/EC Combining double low line 12-15), to the highly polluted major cities (8-10 μg m-3 of nmC; 3-4 μg m-3 of EC; 4-5 μg m-3 of OC; OC/EC Combining double low line 1-2). Thus, urban (and very specific industrial) pollution was found to markedly increase levels of carbonaceous aerosols in Spain, with much lower impact of biomass burning and of biogenic emissions. Correlations between yearly averaged OC/EC and EC concentrations adjust very well to a potential equation (OC Combining double low line 3.37 EC0.326, R2 Combining double low line 0.8). A similar equation is obtained when including average concentrations obtained at other European sites (OC Combining double low line 3.60EC0.491, R2 Combining double low line 0.7). A clear seasonal variability in OC and EC concentrations was detected. Both OC and EC concentrations were higher during winter at the traffic and urban sites, but OC increased during the warmer months at the rural sites. Hourly equivalent black carbon (EBC) concentrations at urban sites accurately depict road traffic contributions, varying with distance from road, traffic volume and density, mixing-layer height and wind speed. Weekday urban rush-hour EBC peaks are mimicked by concentrations of primary gaseous emissions from road traffic, whereas a single midday peak is characteristic of remote and rural sites. Decreasing annual trends for carbonaceous aerosols were observed between 1999 and 2011 at a large number of stations, probably reflecting the impact of the EURO4 and EURO5 standards in reducing the diesel PM emissions. This has resulted in some cases in an increasing trend for NO2/(OC+ EC) ratios as these standards have been much less effective for the abatement of NOx exhaust emissions in passenger diesel cars. This study concludes that EC, EBC, and especially nmC and OC+ EC are very good candidates for new air quality standards since they cover both emission impact and health-related issues.This study was supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment of Spain, the Ministry of Economy and Competitivity (MINECO) of Spain and FEDER funds under the projects VAMOS (CGL2010-19464/CLI), PRISMA (CGL2012-39623-C02-01), GRACCIE (CSD 200700067), POLLINDUST (CGL2011-26259) and UHU (CGL201128025); and by AGAUR-Generalitat de Catalunya (2009 SGR 00008) and LIFE+ AIRUSE (LIFE11-ENV/ES/000584). The Montseny site forms part of the ACTRIS network (European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) project no. 262254), formerly EUSAAR (EUSAAR R113-CT-2006-026140). Funding was also received for the Andaluc´ıa sites from projects 2007-RNM027329 and 2011-RNM7800 (Department of Innovation Science and Enterprise, Andalusia Autonomous Government) M. C. Minguillón was funded by the JAE-Doc CSIC programme, co-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF).publishe

Material particulado en España: niveles, composición y contribución de fuentes

El estudio llevado a cabo en un elevado número de emplazamientos de medida de material particulado (PM) en España ha permitido determinar las importantes variaciones que se producen en los niveles medios de concentración de PM10 y PM2,5 y en su composición química, entre sus distintas regiones geográficas. En diferentes entornos industriales y de tráfico considerados “hotspots”, los niveles medios de PM10 registrados llegan a superar normalmente los valores límite de concentración recomendados. La variabilidad existente entre los distintos emplazamientos de medida en lo que se refiere a niveles de concentración de PM y a la superación de los valores límite de concentración está relacionada con la existencia de distintos patrones, tanto de emisión de las fuentes de material particulado naturales y antropogénicas, como patrones climáticos y de reactividad/ estabilidad de algunas especies presentes en la composición del PM.Este estudio ha sido financiado mediante convenios de colaboración de la Dirección General de Calidad y Evaluación Ambiental del Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y del Plan Nacional de I+D del Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (CGL2004-05984_C07-02/CLI, REN2001-0659-C03-03), y contratos de investigación respaldados por Comunidades Autónomas de Andalucía, Cataluña, Madrid, y Valencia

Mejora de la calidad de las medidas de ozono mediante un fotómetro UV de referencia Improvement of the quality of the ozone measurements by means of a standard reference photometer

<p>La Directiva 92/72/CE hace referencia al método de análisis descrito en la UNE 77-221:2000 y a que los analizadores de ozono se deben calibrar con un fotómetro UV de referencia o con un patrón transferido.</p><p>De la necesidad de desarrollar un procedimiento que asegure la calidad y la trazabilidad de las mediciones en España, el Área de Contaminación Atmosférica ha decidido implantar un fotómetro UV de referencia NIST como patrón de ozono.</p><p>Teniendo en cuenta los procedimientos empleados por EPA y NIST, se ha desarrollado un procedimiento de verificación consistente en la realización de 6 comparaciones del Patrón Transferido frente al Fotómetro UV de Referencia NIST, en días diferentes, analizándose, como mínimo, 5 concentraciones de ozono diferentes. Cada comparación se inicia y se finaliza siempre con una concentración de 0 ppb de O3. De cada comparación se obtiene una regresión lineal.</p><p>Una vez realizadas las 6 comparaciones se obtiene la Recta de calibración y se calcula la incertidumbre asociada al patrón transferido.<br />Se ha realizado la verificación de 17 patrones transferidos de los que 11 son fotómetros UV, 2 son generadores de ozono y 4 son generadores de ozono de bancos de dilución.</p><p>De los resultados se concluye que las incertidumbres de los generadores de ozono, en general, son mayores que las de los fotómetros UV, recomendándose estos últimos como patrones transferidos.</p><p>Destacar que mediante la utilización de los patrones transferidos para la calibración de analizadores de ozono se garantiza tanto la calidad como la trazabilidad de los datos generados.</p><br><p>The Directive 92/72/CE makes reference to the analysis method described in the UNE 77-221:2000 and to the fact that the ozone analyzers shall be calibrated with a UV reference photometer or with a transfer standard.</p><p>From the need of developing a procedure that assure the quality and the trazability of the measurements in Spain, the Atmospheric Pollution Area has decided to implant a NIST UV reference photometer as ozone national standard.</p><p>Taking into account the procedures used by EPA and NIST, a verification procedure has been developed consistent in the realization of 6 comparisons of the Transfer Standard versus NIST UV reference photometer in different days; at least 5 different ozone concentrations are analyzed. Each comparison begins and ends always with a concentration of 0 ppb of O3, and from each comparison its regression linear is obtained.</p><p>Once the 6 comparisons are done, the calibration relationship is obtained and the uncertainty associated with the transfer standard is calculated.<br />Until now, the verifications of 17 transfer standards have been done: 11 of them were UV photometers, 2 were ozone generators and 4 were ozone generators of dilution banks.</p><p>From the results is concluded that generally the uncertainties of the ozone generators are greater than those of the UV photometers, so being recommended this one like transfer standard.</p><p>To emphasize that with the utilization of the tranfer standards for the calibration of ozone analyzers, the quality and the trazability of the generated data are guaranteed.</p

Improvement of the quality of the ozone measurements by means of a standard reference photometer

La Directiva 92/72/CE hace referencia al método de análisis descrito en la UNE 77-221:2000 y a que los analizadores de ozono se deben calibrar con un fotómetro UV de referencia o con un patrón transferido.De la necesidad de desarrollar un procedimiento que asegure la calidad y la trazabilidad de las mediciones en España, el Área de Contaminación Atmosférica ha decidido implantar un fotómetro UV de referencia NIST como patrón de ozono.Teniendo en cuenta los procedimientos empleados por EPA y NIST, se ha desarrollado un procedimiento de verificación consistente en la realización de 6 comparaciones del Patrón Transferido frente al Fotómetro UV de Referencia NIST, en días diferentes, analizándose, como mínimo, 5 concentraciones de ozono diferentes. Cada comparación se inicia y se finaliza siempre con una concentración de 0 ppb de O3. De cada comparación se obtiene una regresión lineal.Una vez realizadas las 6 comparaciones se obtiene la Recta de calibración y se calcula la incertidumbre asociada al patrón transferido.Se ha realizado la verificación de 17 patrones transferidos de los que 11 son fotómetros UV, 2 son generadores de ozono y 4 son generadores de ozono de bancos de dilución.De los resultados se concluye que las incertidumbres de los generadores de ozono, en general, son mayores que las de los fotómetros UV, recomendándose estos últimos como patrones transferidos.Destacar que mediante la utilización de los patrones transferidos para la calibración de analizadores de ozono se garantiza tanto la calidad como la trazabilidad de los datos generados.The Directive 92/72/CE makes reference to the analysis method described in the UNE 77-221:2000 and to the fact that the ozone analyzers shall be calibrated with a UV reference photometer or with a transfer standard.From the need of developing a procedure that assure the quality and the trazability of the measurements in Spain, the Atmospheric Pollution Area has decided to implant a NIST UV reference photometer as ozone national standard.Taking into account the procedures used by EPA and NIST, a verification procedure has been developed consistent in the realization of 6 comparisons of the Transfer Standard versus NIST UV reference photometer in different days; at least 5 different ozone concentrations are analyzed. Each comparison begins and ends always with a concentration of 0 ppb of O3, and from each comparison its regression linear is obtained.Once the 6 comparisons are done, the calibration relationship is obtained and the uncertainty associated with the transfer standard is calculated.Until now, the verifications of 17 transfer standards have been done: 11 of them were UV photometers, 2 were ozone generators and 4 were ozone generators of dilution banks.From the results is concluded that generally the uncertainties of the ozone generators are greater than those of the UV photometers, so being recommended this one like transfer standard.To emphasize that with the utilization of the tranfer standards for the calibration of ozone analyzers, the quality and the trazability of the generated data are guaranteed

An Approach for the Evaluation of Exposure Patterns of Urban Populations to Air Pollution

Exposure concentrations of aromatic compounds were correlated with variables derived from time-microenvironment-activity (TMA) diaries to understand the relationship between exposure patterns and commuting behaviour of the population in a case study in Madrid. Approximately 200 air pollution samples were measured during one-day campaign by means of diffusive samplers. An approach to determine the importance of selected activities and locations relative to a baseline condition, defined by a sample of approximately 100 commuters is described. A regression model is applied to determine the relative importance of identified situations, whether related directly to transport behaviour or through a labelled situation. The regression defines abaseline exposure concentration level where activities act as multiplying factors. The relationship of this baseline level and the set of activity factors, assigned to the population considered, to the ambient background is explored for its application to future studies. The calculation of exposure concentration gradients from the regression provides a means to characterise of the relative importance of different activities. A good level of agreement, in particular for benzene, was evident between the observed exposure concentrations and those calculated using the regression model.JRC.F.8-Sustainable Transpor

Variability of carbonaceous aerosols in remote, rural, urban and industrial environments in Spain: implications for air quality policy [Discussion paper]

We interpret here the variability of levels of carbonaceous aerosols based on a 12 yr database from 78 monitoring stations across Spain specially compiled for this article. Data did not evidence any spatial trends of carbonaceous aerosols across the country. Conversely, results show marked differences in average concentrations from the cleanest, most remote sites (around 1 μg m−3 of non-mineral carbon (nmC), mostly made of organic carbon (OC) with very little elemental carbon (EC), around 0.1 μg m−3; OC / EC = 12–15), to the highly polluted major cities (8–10 μg m−3 of nmC; 3–4 μg m−3 of EC; 4–5 μg m−3 of OC; OC / EC = 1–2).This study was supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment of Spain, the Ministry of Economy and Competitivity (MINECO) of Spain and FEDER funds under the projects VAMOS (CGL2010-19464/CLI), PRISMA (CGL2012-39623-C02-01), GRACCIE (CSD 2007- 00067), POLLINDUST (CGL2011-26259) and UHU (CGL2011- 28025); and by AGAUR-Generalitat de Catalunya (2009 SGR 00008) and LIFE + AIRUSE (LIFE11-ENV/ES/000584). The Montseny site forms part of the ACTRIS network (European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) project no. 262254), formerly EUSAAR (EUSAAR R113-CT-2006-026140). Funding was also received for the Andalucía sites from projects 2007-RNM027329 and 2011-RNM7800 (Department of Innovation Science and Enterprise, Andalusia Autonomous Government)