This study investigated the effect of equilibration temperature on PM 10 concentrations from the tapered element oscillating microbalance (TEOM) method by operating collocated TEOM monitors at different equilibration temperatures in an airshed (the Lower Fraser Valley, British Columbia). This airshed contained an abundance of particulate semivolatile material (PSVM). For the period when three collocated TEOM monitors were operated, the PM 10 from the monitor at an equilibration temperature of 30°C was 2.5 µg/m 3 (22%) and 1.7 (17%) µg/m 3 higher, on average, than the PM 10 from monitors at 50 and 40 °C, respectively, and the differences were proportional to the ambient PM 10 loading. Greater volatilization of PSVM in the TEOM monitors at higher equilibration temperatures may have been a cause of the differences.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.