A Case Study on the Comparison of PM_(2.5) Mass Concentration Measured by Beta Attenuation Monitor and Gravimetric Method

摘要

Particulate air pollution, specifically PM_(2.5) is known to cause cardiovascular diseases in human being (Wang et al., 2015). Because of its health effect, it is a major parameter of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). In the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, three methods of the measurement of PM_(2.5) are recommended. In this study, two such measurement methods were used simultaneously and compared at various locations at Raipur city in Chhattisgarh State. Gravimetric method has been one of the conventional methods for the measurement of PM25and has been approved by US EPA as reference method, also by many governing bodies. With the recent advancement in the field of technology there are several methods, which are almost equivalent to the gravimetric method. Among these, beta attenuation monitor (BAM) is the most widely acclaimed technology used all over the world for several years. In this work, PM_(2.5) was sampled using a filter-based gravimetric sampling method and direct reading instruments (that is beta attenuation monitor) at a location in Raipur city, namely Naya Raipur monitoring station during Diwali festival week and mass concentration results were compared. In general we observed that the deviation in the results obtained by both the methods is larger when ambient relative humidity is high (>50%).