Measurement and Monitoring of Particulate Matter in Construction Sites: Guidelines for Gravimetric Approach

Studies on particulate matter (PM) from construction activities are still at an early stage. Thus, there is still no consensus on standardized experimental methods for monitoring PM in construction sites, which impedes the advancement of knowledge on this subject. This work proposes guidelines for measuring and monitoring the concentration of suspended PM and the annoyance generated by sedimented particles on construction sites in urban areas. These guidelines aim to reduce the variability and uncertainties that exist during the PM sampling processes at construction sites. This study adopts a literature review strategy in order to update the available scientific literature based on empirical evidence obtained in experimental PM studies and relevant documents from government agencies. The proposed guidelines were applied in a study protocol for gravimetric monitoring PM and annoyance tracking generated by sedimented particles using sticky pads. As a result, this article details sampling techniques, procedures, and instruments, focusing on gravimetric sampling, highlighting their characteristics compared to other monitoring approaches. Additionally, it points out a series of parameters for the measurement and monitoring of PM. This paper seeks to support future researchers in this area, inform decision making for experimental sampling, and provide a benchmark for measuring and monitoring PM at construction sites.

Palynological assessment of the atmosphere in the city of Cherepovets

The article presents the results of the study of aeropalinological spectra of the city of Cherepovets (59 ° 07′59 ″ N, 37 ° 53′59 ″ E), carried out during the growing season 2014-2015. The method of gravimetric sampling was used (Durham’s pollen trap). Data was obtained on 22 taxa and the dynamics of dusting of various palynomorphs; the dominant taxa of palinospectrum were identified, as well as non-pollen palynomorphs in the air. It is shown that Betula pollen grains prevail in the atmosphere of the city. The pollen of woody plants occupies 80% of the total spectrum, and the pollen of herbaceous plants – 20%. Seasonal highs are recorded twice: in May and in late June – early July. This information must be taken into account when accompanying patients with hay fever.

Comparison of the gravimetric sampling and impedance methods for measuring soil moisture content

This paper was focused on determining whether gravimetric sampling and impedance method of measuring soil moisture content provided different results and if they did, what was the size of the differences between particular methods on rendzinas and cambisols. The means of moisture content should be equal when using both methods on similar spots. During the research, an Eijkelkamp Penetrologger penetrometer equipped with impedance probes and gravimetric sampling cylinders from Eijkelkamp were used. The samples were taken from the undisturbed stand, ruts, and the centre of the skid trail. The impedance probes were inserted six centimetres deep into the soil. Soil samples were taken from similar depth in order to calculate the moisture content through the gravimetric method. 138 measurements were carried out for each method. The minimal difference of moisture contents measured by individual methods was 0.01%, maximal difference was 22.06%, and on average it was 7.42%. Oneway ANOVA was used for first stage analysis of the statistical sample. It proved that the differences between measurements were statistically significant in two out of three considered stands. Tukey’s HSD test was used to identify which data groups contributed to refuting the aforementioned hypothesis. The test showed that in one stand all relevant pairs of data were significantly different, while in the other stand only data pairs from the ruts were significantly different. The calibration method provided by the producers did not refine the accuracy of the impedance probes sufficiently and different calibration procedures have to be used.

Airborne pollen spectrum and hay fever type prevalence in Vinnitsa, central Ukraine

<p>The article deals with the main pollen spectrum in relation to patients’ sensitivity determined in the ambient air of Vinnitsa city located in central Ukraine. The study performed by gravimetric sampling in the years 1999–2000 and by volumetric sampling in the years 2009–2014 showed that <em>Urtica</em>, <em>Betula</em>, <em>Pinus</em>, <em>Alnus</em>, <em>Fraxinus</em>, <em>Ambrosia</em>, <em>Artemisia</em>, <em>Juglans</em>, <em>Carpinus</em>, <em>Populus</em>, <em>Quercus</em>, <em>Acer</em>, <em>Salix</em>, Poaceae, Amarathaceae, and Polygonaceae pollen grains are prevalent among the airborne allergen types in the urban atmosphere. The principal pollen types remain the same but over time their quantities have changed. The relative abundance of <em>Carpinus</em> and Amaranthaceae airborne pollen decreased while the fraction of <em>Urtica</em> pollen increased in the last decade. From 50 to 69 pollen types were determined in the ambient air depending on the season. From 24 to 27 pollen types represented woody plants and from 22 to 46 pollen types belonged to the herbaceous plants. A considerable decrease in herbal pollen types is noted in the Vinnitsa air at present.</p><p>It was shown that children were sensitive to weed pollen grains, including ragweed, mugwort, and grass, while adults were more sensitive to tree and grass pollen grains. Further studies of the pollen spectrum in the ambient air of this city are required in order to control the hay fever symptoms.</p>

Characterization of Particulate From Fires Burning Silicone Fluids

The optical properties of particulate emitted from fires burning two distinct polydimethylsiloxane fluids (D4 and M2 or MM, where D=CH32SiO and M=CH33SiO2) were obtained using a transmission cell-reciprocal nephelometer in conjunction with gravimetric sampling. The specific absorption coefficient of particulate ash from fires burning D4 and MM is significantly lower than that of particulate soot from an acetylene (hydrocarbon) flame. Scattering is the dominant part of extinction in fires burning the silicone fluids. This is very different from extinction by soot particles in hydrocarbon fires, where absorption is approximately five times greater than scattering. Temperatures and particulate volume fractions along the axis of a silicone fire D4 were measured using multi-wavelength absorption/emission spectroscopy. The structure of the D4 flames is markedly different from hydrocarbon flames. The temperatures and particulate volume fractions very close to the burner surface are much higher than in comparably sized hydrocarbon flames.