National Air Surveillance Networks

Mean Chemical Composition and Atmospheric Concentrations of Suspended Particulate Matter Sampled by the United States Environmental Protection Agency s Inhalable Particle and National Air Surveillance Networks—/rg/m and Percentage of Total Mass Sampled, 1980... 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Office of Air and Water Programs. Air Quality Data for Organics 1969 and 1970 from the National Air Surveillance Networks. Report APTD-146S. Research Triangle Park, N.C. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1973. [34 pp.]... 

Sheppard 1980). The level of thorium measured in 1969 in East Chicago, IN, a heavily polluted industrial area, was 1.3 ng/m compared to a value of 0.27 ng/m at a rural location in Michigan (Niles, Ml) (Dams et al. 1970). The air particulate samples collected from 250 sites in the United States by the National Air Surveillance Network (NASN) of ERA during 1975 and 1976 were analyzed for thorium-232 by neutron activation analysis. The measured concentrations at 250 urban and nonurban sites in the United States ranged from 0.2-1.0 ng/m, with a mean concentration of 0.3 ng/m (Lambert and Wilshire 1979). The mean concentrations of thorium-228, thorium-230 and thorium-232 in New York City air (sample collected on the roof above the 14th floor) were 36 aCi/m (aCi = 10 Ci), 36 aCi/m, and 37 aCi/m, respectively (Wrenn et al. 1981). 

Evans EG, Evans GF, Ray DB, et al. 1984. Air quality data for metals 1977 through 1979 from the national air surveillance networks. EPA 600/S4-83-053. Research Triangle Park, NC Office of Research and Development, Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

The carbon analyzer has been used to analyze filters from 42 urban sites and 22 non-urban sites in the United States. These filters were obtained from the National Air Surveillance Network (NASN) filter bank for 1975. Carbon concentrations and mass fractions for Detroit, Michigan, are shown in Figures 5 and 6. Both the organic and elemental carbon concentrations are highly variable, and no seasonal trends are apparent. For this site elemental carbon constituted 38% of total aerosol carbon. Typical values for other sites ranged between 35 and 55%. 

In 1953 the Public Health Service in cooperation with state and local departments in air-pollution control agencies set up air sampling stations in 17 communities. The Federal Air Pollution Research and Technical Assistance Act (Public Law 159, 84th Congress) became effective in June, 1955. The network expanded to become national in 1957, at which time about 110 urban and 51 non-urban stations in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico were operated on a continuing basis. Currently, the National Air Surveillance Network (NASN) includes some 270 stations (10% of which are non-urban) where particulate matter is collected on glass-fiber filters and TSP is deter-... 

Several monitoring studies indicate that there are higher concentrations of PAHs in urban air than in rural air. Pucknat (1981) summarized 1970 data from the U.S. National Air Surveillance Network and reported that benzo[a]pyrene concentrations in 120 U.S. cities were between 0.2 and 19.3 ng/m. Ambient benzo[a]pyrene concentrations in nonurban areas ranged between 0.1 and 1.2 ng/m. ... 

Certain monitoring data suggest that ambient levels of some PAHs may be decreasing. Faoro and Manning (1981) analyzed a limited sample of U.S. National Air Surveillance Network data updated through 1977. which indicated that benzo[a]pyrene concentrations have shown consistent, sizable declines during the period from 1967 to 1977 at 26 urban sites and 3 background sites studied (data not provided). 

Van De Velde K, Ferrari C, Barbante C, Mret I, Bellomi X Hong S, and Boutron C (1999) A 200 year record of atmospheric cobalt, chromium, molybdenum, and antimony in high altitude alpine firn and ice. Environ SdTechnol 33 3495-3501. Var F, Narita Y and Tanaka S (2000) The concentration, trend and seasonal variation of metals in the atmosphere in 16 Japanese cities shown by the results of National Air Surveillance Network (NASN )from 1974 to 1996. Atmos Environ 34 2755-2770. VoELKER B, Morel F and Sulzberger B (1997) Iron redox cycling in surface waters ffects of humic substances and light. Environ Sd Tedmol 31 1004-1011. 

Ambient air Pb levels in the United States or elsewhere were not recorded or reported in any systematic way until the late 1950s. The establishment of the National Air Surveillance Network (NASN) in the United States was typical... 

This chapter presents a summary of composition and source origin of trace metals in PM2 5 collected at selected urban and rural sites across Canada, within the National Air Pollution Network Surveillance program, during the May 2004 to December 2006 sampling period. The PM2.5 mass concentrations found at all Canadian sites ranged from 5 to 11 pg/m (IQR)- The overall median was 7.2 pg/ m and was lower than most of the values reported for other regions of the world. The least contaminated site was Canterbury NB (rural), whereas Windsor ON (urban) was the site with the highest concentration of PM2.5. 

The Canadian National Air Pollution Surveillance (NAPS) network is one of the major air quality monitoring initiatives in the country. It was established in 1969 as a joint program of the federal and provincial governments to monitor and assess the quality of the ambient air in Canada s urban centers. Air quality data are measured at 319 sites, located in 216 communities in all provinces and territories with the aim of providing the information needed to evaluate air pollution control... 

Environment Canada. 2000. National Air Pollution Surveillance (NAPS) Network—Annual Summary for 1998, Report EPS 7/AP/31, Environmental Protection Service, Ottawa, ON. 

---