South Coast Air Quality Management District

Execute Contract to Conduct Special Particulate Monitoring at Selected Sites in South Coast Air Basin

SYNOPSIS:

As part of the ARB’s Children’s Health Study, special particulate monitoring will be conducted at selected monitoring locations in the South Coast Air Basin. This includes Scanning Mobility Particulate Sizers (SMPS) which have the capability to continuously measure nanoparticles. The operation of SMPS units over a three-year period will be conducted by the University of Southern California (USC) as part of the U.S. EPA Supersite Program, and the funds for this effort were provided by the U.S. EPA, as recognized by the Board at its July 2001 meeting. This action is to execute a contract with USC for an amount not to exceed $120,000. Total project costs are $194,679 with ARB funding the remaining $74,679.

COMMITTEE:

Technology, July 27, 2001. Less than a quorum was present during the discussion of this item; the Vice Chair communicated his concurrence and recommendation that this item be forwarded for Board consideration with no approval or disapproval recommendation from the Committee.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Authorize the Chairman of the Board to execute a contract with the University of Southern California to conduct special particulate monitoring in the South Coast Air Basin in conjunction with the ARB’s Children’s Health Study for an amount not to exceed $120,000.

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer

Background

Recent results from the ongoing Children’s Health Study (CHS) conducted by the ARB suggest that exposure to increased particulate levels can lead to retarded lung function growth and adverse health consequences in children. In response to these findings, the ARB has deployed the first-of-its-kind network of ultrafine particle counters. However, these units do not provide information on the relative sizes of individual particles. Researchers from the University of Southern California (USC), participating in the U.S. EPA’s particulate "supersite" program in Southern California, have access to several new instruments called Scanning Mobility Particle Sizers (SMPS). The SMPS units, when used in concert with the particle counters, offer the potential to provide in-depth information about fine particulates, including nanoparticles, which have not been available previously. Such information will be very useful in better understanding the role of particulates in children’s health.

From a funding standpoint, as part of the national supersite program, EPA has set aside limited funds for local agencies to assist researchers in coordinating field programs. As part of that funding, EPA has granted AQMD $120,000 as a Section 103 Grant to conduct this effort. Such funds were recognized by the Board at its July 2001 meeting.

Proposal

This project would utilize three SMPS units at all 12 Children’s Health Study sites on a rotating basis over a three-year period. The sites within the South Coast Air Basin include: Upland, Mira Loma, Lake Elsinore, Riverside (UCR), Los Angeles (USC), Azusa, Glendora, and Long Beach. USC researchers would install, operate, and maintain these units, analyze the data and report the results.

The proposed sampling design will focus on two basic air mass trajectories. The first is a nitrate-oriented trajectory starting in the general Long Beach area with local emissions from refineries, trucks, ships, and power plants. It will pass through the Chino-Ontario dairy area with considerable ammonia emissions, and end up in the Mira Loma and Riverside area, the region of the SCAB with the highest nitrate levels. The second trajectory, of lower nitrate potential, starts in central Los Angeles and moves eastward across the San Gabriel Valley. Some of the data analyses will include: (1) statistical correlations between particle number and volume distributions; (2) time-of-day particle distributions; (3) comparisons between weekdays and weekends; (4) and correlations between particle number and elemental carbon, CO, NOx, and other pollutants.

The principal investigator for the project is Dr. Constantinos Sioutas, Deputy Director of the Southern California PM Center and Supersite. He is an experienced air pollution researcher and has in-depth experience with many new and innovative monitoring methods. Dr. Sioutas will be supported by a group of doctoral research assistants.

Sole Source Justification

Section VIII.B.2 of the Procurement Policy and Procedure identifies four major provisions under which a sole source award may be justified. This request for a sole source award is made under B.2.d.(1) and (8). Under B.2.d: Other circumstances exist which in the determination of the Executive Officer require such waiver in the best interest of the AQMD. Specifically, under B.2.d.(1), the project involves cost sharing by multiple sponsors. In this case, the ARB is co-funding this research effort. Under B.2.d.(8), the research is being conducted by the University of Southern California, an educational institution.

Also, because the USC effort is part of the U.S. EPA supersite program, the AQMD received special Section 103 Grant funds for this purpose.

Resource Impacts

The total amount for this project is $194,679, of which $74,679 is being co-funded by ARB. The AQMD portion of $120,000 is fully funded through the U.S. EPA Section 103 Grant recognized by the Board for this purpose at its July 2001 meeting. Sufficient funds are available in the FY 2001-02 Budget for this project, as augmented by the U.S. EPA funds.

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