Effectiveness of the PM2.5 Federal Reference Method to Differentiate Fine andCoarse Mode Aerosol: A Response to Section 6102(e) of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century

摘要

Section 6102(e) of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century states:'The Administrator shall conduct a field study of the ability of the PM(sub 2.5) Federal Reference Method to differentiate those particles that are larger than 2.5 micrograms (sic) in diameter. This study shall be completed and provided to the Committee on Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Environmental and Public Works of the United States Senate no later than 2 years from the data of enactment of this Act.' While the concern about the ability of the PM(sub 2.5) Federal Reference Method (FRM) to function as designed is understandable, extensive data from multiple laboratory and field tests establish that the FRM effectively differentiates between particles larger and smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. This report addresses the concerns of Section 6102(e) by presenting laboratory and field evaluations that have been conducted to ascertain the ability of the FRM to separate PM(2.5) from the environment.