Sampling Low Air Pollution Concentrations at a Neighborhood Scale in a Desert U.S. Metropolis with Volatile Weather Patterns
Affiliation
Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of ArizonaProgram in Applied Mathematics, University of Arizona
Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, College of Medicine, University of Arizona
Issue Date
2022
Metadata
Show full item recordPublisher
MDPICitation
Lothrop, N., Lopez-Galvez, N., Canales, R. A., O’Rourke, M. K., Guerra, S., & Beamer, P. (2022). Sampling Low Air Pollution Concentrations at a Neighborhood Scale in a Desert U.S. Metropolis with Volatile Weather Patterns. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.Rights
Copyright © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Collection Information
This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at repository@u.library.arizona.edu.Abstract
Background: Neighborhood-scale air pollution sampling methods have been used in a range of settings but not in low air pollution airsheds with extreme weather events such as volatile precipitation patterns and extreme summer heat and aridity—all of which will become increasingly common with climate change. The desert U.S. metropolis of Tucson, AZ, has historically low air pollution and a climate marked by volatile weather, presenting a unique opportunity. Methods: We adapted neighborhood-scale air pollution sampling methods to measure ambient NO2, NOx, and PM2.5 and PM10 in Tucson, AZ. Results: The air pollution concentrations in this location were well below regulatory guidelines and those of other locations using the same methods. While NO2 and NOx were reliably measured, PM2.5 measurements were moderately correlated with those from a collocated reference monitor (r = 0.41, p = 0.13), potentially because of a combination of differences in inlet heights, oversampling of acutely high PM2.5 events, and/or pump operation beyond temperature specifications. Conclusion: As the climate changes, sampling methods should be reevaluated for accuracy and precision, especially those that do not operate continuously. This is even more critical for low-pollution airsheds, as studies on low air pollution concentrations will help determine how such ambient exposures relate to health outcomes. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Note
Open access journalISSN
1661-7827Version
Final published versionae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.3390/ijerph19063173
Scopus Count
Collections
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Copyright © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).