Air/Superfund National Technical Guidance Study Series: Applicability of OpenPath Monitors for Superfund

摘要

The document provides guidance on the applicability of Open Path Monitors (OPMs)for ambient air monitoring at Superfund sites. The relatively limited use of these devices for ambient air monitoring has led to many questions concerning their applicability, reliability, and sensitivity for these applications. Information is provided as to the general capabilities of OPMs. The compounds that each method is capable of detecting are tabulated. The detection limits of each type of instrument are discussed and compared to the detection limits achievable using conventional techniques such as EPA Method TO-14 as well as to short-term and long-term health-based action levels. The data turnaround time and the ability to resolve temporal variations in emissions are also discussed.