Results of the First EC/OC Comparison Exercise for EU National Air Quality Reference Laboratories (AQUILA)
The JRC-IES European Reference Laboratory for Air Pollution (ERLAP) has organized an inter-laboratory comparison for the measurement of elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC) in particulate matter sampled on filters.
To this comparison European Union National Reference Laboratories for air quality or delegated organizations have participated, all using instrumentation of the same make (Sunset Laboratories Inc. ).
The objectives of this comparison have been to evaluate the performances of participants but also to study the effects of the use of different thermal analysis protocols currently used for analysis.
It has been shown – based on z-scores – that all participants using laboratory analyzers are able to meet a 25% expanded uncertainty as a “fitness-for-purpose” criterion for total carbon (TC, as the sum of OC and EC) and OC.
For EC this criterion is only met when results are evaluated by specific protocols (NIOSH or EUSAAR_2) separately.
Field versions of the analyzer have been found for a number of samples to yield aberrant results.
EMBLICO Lorenza;
CAVALLI Fabrizia;
BOROWIAK Annette;
HAFKENSCHEID Theo;
2012-07-17
Publications Office of the European Union
JRC68406
978-92-79-23085-1 (print),
978-92-79-23086-8,
1018-5593 (print),
1831-9424 (online),
EUR 25213 EN,
OP LB-NA-25213-EN-C (print),
OP LB-NA-25213-EN-N (online),
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC68406,
10.2788/97054 (print),
10.2788/97194 (online),
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