Overview

LANL Non-Radioactive Air Emissions

LANL performs engineering calculations to estimate emissions for a number of specific air pollutants (New Mexico 2.73 Emissions Inventory) and publish annual reports. The Laboratory has the potential to emit 100 tons per year of suspended particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

LANL also monitors stack emissions for non-radioactive species.

Monitoring

Non-Radioactive Air Constituents in Los Alamos County

During spring 2000 (Cerro Grande fire) and summer 2011(Las Conchas fire) there was concern about the potential human health impacts of materials emitted the fire; therefore, short-term intensive air monitoring studies were performed.

In September 2001 NonRadNet, to monitor the composition of particulate matter and volatile organic compounds in the ambient atmosphere. In subsequent years the program has been modified but still retains some original elements..

The NonRadNet program was designed to sample environmental levels of non-radiological air constituents at LANL and in communities near the Laboratory. Species monitored include particles with diameters of 10 micrometers or less (PM-10), particles with diameters of 2.5 micrometers or less (PM-2.5), and at times VOCs, and metals possibly including silver, arsenic, barium, beryllium, cadmium, cerium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, lead, selenium, thallium, vanadium and zinc.

No specific regulatory requirements exist for this program, so normally no actions are required. However, unusual results will be investigated in an attempt to understand the cause.

The specific constituents collected and measured were identified as being the species of greatest concern based upon a review of literature pertaining to air emissions from fires and a review of data collected by LANL during the Cerro Grande Fire.

Analysis

Sampling and Chemical Analysis

Size-fractionated Particulate Material
Particles with diameters of 10 micrometers or less (PM-10) and particles with diameters of 2.5 micrometers or less (PM-2.5) data are collected using a Rupprecht & Patashnick TEOM (tapered element oscillating microbalance) Series 1400a ambient particulate monitor fitted with a PM-10 or PM-2.5 sample inlet. Data collected from the TEOM units are available on-line. PM-10 and PM-2.5 concentrations are measured continuously and averaged over 30-minute and 24-hour time periods

Inorganic Elemental Measurements
Some AIRNET samples are submitted regularly for limited analysis of metals. Additional samples and a more expanded set of analyses may be called for in response to unusual events such as fires.

Volatile Organic Compounds
At times the air monitoring subject matter experts may call for measurements of VOCs. After canisters are placed in the field, they are sent to an analytical laboratory for chromatography with a mass selective detector to determine VOC concentrations.

Concentrations

Ambient Air Concentrations

Explanation of Reported Concentrations
Data tables below summarize the ambient air concentrations of inorganic elements and volatile organic compounds. The summaries include the number of measurements (samples), number of measurements that were determined to be less than their analytical detection limits, the minimum and maximum values (range) where two or more measurements had positive results, the mean value of the positive results, and the standard deviation of the mean where three or more positive values were available.

Inorganic Elements
The summaries of previous measurements for 15 elements at three stations located in Los Alamos and White Rock are shown in Table 1 (pdf) and Table 2 (pdf), respectively. There are relatively little air concentration data in previous Environmental Surveillance Reports for inorganic species, and most of what is available has large uncertainties.

Volatile Organic Compounds
Summary data for 160 compounds measured in Los Alamos and White Rock during 2001 are presented in the tables linked below. The first three of these tables contain summaries for 124 compounds where at least one positive detection was achieved at one site. The fourth table presents a summary for 36 compounds that have only detection limit data at all sites for all measurements.

• Table 3: VOCs at the Los Alamos Hospital site (pdf)
• Table 4: VOCs at the Intersection of Diamond Drive and Jemez Road in Los Alamos (pdf)
• Table 5: VOCs at the White Rock Fire Station site (pdf)
• Table 6: VOCs not detected at any site (pdf)

Background levels of these compounds are not easily determined. Organic compounds have a variety of natural and anthropogenic sources, and many of these compounds are well mixed in the troposphere.

References

References and Guidance Documents

• EPA QA/R-5, "EPA Requirements for Quality Assurance Project Plans for Environmental Data Operations," Interim Final, January 1994
• EPA Compendium Method IO-3.1, "Selection, Preparation, And Extraction of Filter Material," Compendium of Methods for the Determination of Inorganic Compounds in Ambient Air, Second Edition, EPA/625/R-96/010b
• EPA Compendium Method IO-3.4, "Determination Of Metals In Ambient Particulate Matter Using Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) Spectroscopy", Compendium of Methods for the Determination of Toxic Organic Compounds in Ambient Air, Second Edition, EPA/625/R-96/010b
• EPA Compendium Method IO-3.5, "Determination Of Metals In Ambient Particulate Matter Using Inductively Coupled Plasma/ Mass Spectrometry Compounds in Ambient Air, Second Edition, EPA/625/R-96/010b
• EPA Compendium Method TO-15, "Determination Of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) In Air Collected In Specially-Prepared Canisters And Analyzed by Gas Chromatography/ Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS)", Compendium of Methods Edition, EPA/625/R-96/010b
• EPA SW-846 Methods 6010 and 6020, "Test Methods of Evaluating Solid Waste," 3rd ed., 2nd update; US EPA. Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, Sept. 1994; Vol. 1A.
• Title 29 Code of Federal Regulations Part 1910.1000, Table Z-1, OSHA, "Limits for Air Contaminants"
• Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations Part 58, "Ambient Air Quality Surveillance," Appendix E
• Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations Part 136, Appendix B, "Definition and Procedure For The Determination Of The Method Detection Limit-Revision 1.11"