A study was conducted to determine what effects the type of
pollutants, storage conditions, storage time, and method of sample
conditioning have on the reported weight of an air pollutant collected
by filtration. Samples were collected from a refuse dump, an arc
furnace smelting nickel ore, and a rotary kiln...
An emmission sampling system was developed to measure pollutants
emitted from a mobile agricultural incinerator developed at
Oregon State University. The system was designed to collect a particulate
sample on an 8" x 10" fiber glass filter and collect a gaseous
sample in a plastic bag. Pollutants measured were particulates...
The atmospheric trace element abundances associated with
several major sources of air pollution in Western Oregon, such as the
paper industry, the metallurgical processing industry, the plywood
industry and agricultural field burning have been measured by instrumental
neutron activation analysis (INAA). Air samples were collected
directly from industrial stacks and...
The "Teepee" type wood residue incinerator, similar to
many other sources, requires sampling at the point where the emissions enter the atmosphere. Because the location of the emission
point is hazardous and unpleasant for the operation of a sampling
probe, a portable, tilt-up column was developed which permitted installation, operation,...
The unifying purpose of this dissertation was to describe, model, and map
relationships between epiphvtic macrolichen communities and air quality in Ibrests of
northern and central California. First, multivariate analyses were used to subdivide the
large study area into three model areas with similar climate, topography, and lichen
communities: the...
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Chapter 3. Bioindication of AirPollution in the Greater Central Valley of
California. U.S.A
The purpose of this research was to compare four different media that were used to monitor SOC atmospheric concentrations in remote ecosystems. The accumulation of semi-volatile organic compounds, including pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), was investigated in lichen, 2-year old conifer needles, resin-based passive air sampling...
A mathematical model of the atmosphere in an airshed is developed, which relates pollutant source distributions and intensities
to the volume of air available for dispersion and to pollutant concentrations
or air quality standards. It can be used as a tool for obtaining
an answer to an air resource management...
The length of time that atmospheric pollutants released from low-level
sources in the midwestern United States can expect to remain in
the atmosphere is discussed. The pollution is assumed to be removed
from the atmosphere by dry deposition and precipitation scavenging.
Layer-average trajectories originating from Kansas City, Missouri are
used...
In Medford, Oregon, the major source of pollution is the lumber
mill waste burner. Its low combustion efficiency results in the
emission of large quantities of particulate into the atmosphere.
Due to the influence of the atmospheric radiation inversion and
possibly the poor performance of the burners at the time...
A source test was conducted to determine the particulate and the
total gaseous hydrocarbon emissions from a gas heated veneer dryer.
Samples were taken on eight separate days from the exhaust stacks
while the dryer was processing Douglas fir veneer. Of the eight days,
three was used to determine the...
An integrating nephelometer was set up at the Eugene Airport
which is located five miles north of Eugene, Oregon, on Highway
99 West. Continuous atmospheric scattering coefficient readings
were obtained from July 1, 1969, to August 28, 1969. These data
are converted to meteorological range through the use of the...
A high volume sampling system, employing Nuclepore filters and
designed for sampling particulate in the plumes from industrial
sources using a light aircraft, is described. The effluent of kraft
paper mills was sampled using this system and then analyzed by
electron microscopy.
Size distributions of particles were obtained at several...
The examination in some detail of the relationships between
air quality and the thermal structure of the lowest layers of the atmosphere
constituted the primary objective of this thesis. Data for
the study were assembled during April-June 1965 at the U.S.
Weather Bureau Station, McNary Field, Salem, Oregon. The measures...
Many agricultural fields are burned in the Willamette Valley
of Oregon during the summer for economic reasons. A major air
pollution problem results from these burnings. The purpose of this
study was to develop relations between the maximum plume height
and some of the independent variables affecting this plume height,...
Oxides of nitrogen are a concern as effluents to atmospheres
because they participate in photochemical reactions which produce
smog, because they attenuate sunlight which gives the atmosphere a
reddish brown cast, and because of their toxic properties and the
health hazards associated with the photochemical products they produce.
Oxides of...
The study of aldehydes in diesel exhaust is important because
of their relationship to diesel odor, to air pollution, and to the development
of a theory of combustion. Therefore, a study is made
of the low order aliphatic aldehydes using gas chromatography in
conjunction with standard wet chemical tests.
The...
This report presents the findings of a sediment analysis
program formulated to determine the flushing potential
of various shaped small boat marina basins. Chemical tests
regarding volatile solids, Kjeldahl nitrogen, grease and
oil, and sulfides were performed with the results compared
to established sediment quality criteria. These results
were used...
Physical geography and topography combined with increasing number of motor
vehicles have lead to record breaking air pollution levels in Tehran, the capital city of
Iran. The objectives of this study were: 1) to document trends in Tehran, Iran's
ambient air quality levels between 1988 and 1993; 2) to compare...
Open field burning is the lowest-cost method of harvest residue
disposal used extensively by grass seed producers in the Willamette
Valley of Oregon. The beneficial effects of open field burning include
effective disease control and increased seed yields. However, smoke
produced by open burning in the late summer pollutes valley...
A field study was conducted to determine the applicability of multivariate
geostatistical methods to the problem of estimating and simulating pesticide
concentrations in groundwater from measured concentrations of nitrate and pesticide,
when pesticide is undersampled. Prior to this study, no published attempt had been made
to apply multivariate geostatistics to...
The mesopelagic animals which are most often detected acoustically are those which contain gas bubbles within their bodies. In the waters off the Oregon coast, the most abundant animals which contain gas bubbles are myctophids. Both the size and the shape of the bubble are important to acoustic measurements. This...
Passive sampling devices (PSDs) were used to measure air vapor and water dissolved phase concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and oxygenated PAHs (OPAHs) at two different environmentally contaminated sites. Environmental contaminates like PAHs and OPAHs are present in both the atmospheric and aqueous environmental compartments. It is known that...
The relative influences of trans-Pacific and regional atmospheric transport on measured concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), PAH derivatives [Nitro- (NPAH) and Oxy-(OPAH)], organic carbon (OC), and Particulate Matter (PM) less than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM₂.₅) were investigated in the Pacific Northwest, USA in 2010-2011. Ambient high volume PM₂.₅...
The importance of automobile exhaust as a source of atmospheric pollutants has been recognized for several years. With the
control of stationary sources in geographic areas such as Los
Angeles County, the automobile has become the major uncontrolled
source of air pollution.
The three major pollutants emitted by automobiles are...
A field study on grass field burning was conducted in the
Willamette Valley of Oregon during the summer of 1965. Approximately 243,000 acres of grass fields are burned in the valley during
August and September. Serious air pollution problems result from
this burning. The purposes of the study were to...
On January 5, 2000, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) received a request for a health hazard evaluation (HHE) from the United States Forest Service (USFS), Region 6, Office of Natural Resources. The request listed nausea, rashes, headaches, and dizziness as symptoms reported by Foresters who use...
Lichen sensitivity to air quality has been recognized in Europe
for over 125 years: recently Federal agencies in this country have
begun using lichens as air quality bioindicators. This study presents
the results of three different approaches to air quality biomonitoring
using lichens: (1) a lichen community analysis, (2) an...
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) with a molecular weight (MW) of 302
and oxygenated-PAHs (OPAHs) have demonstrated toxicity beyond that of
frequently monitored and known carcinogenic PAHs. Airborne particulate matter
(PM) was characterized for MW 302 isomers to evaluate risk and air quality
indices and OPAHs in order to fill data...
Current studies suggest that perfluorinated organic compounds, such as fluorotelomer alcohols (FtOHs) in the troposphere, may be precursors of perfluorocarboxylic acids and perfluorosulfonates in remote regions. Fluorinated organic compounds were investigated in archived extracts collected from remote locations in Okinawa, Japan (HSO) and Mount Bachelor, Oregon (MBO) during the springs...
The purpose of this study was to apply the Combined Index (Con, a hazard screening tool, developed by Dr. Debra Forman of EPA Region III Office of Air Radiation and Toxics Division, to the 1994 and 1995 Oregon Toxic Chemical Release Inventory (TRI) for pollution prevention and facility targeting analysis....
Optimization of the galvanovoltammetric determination of dissolved
chlorine in a flowing stream was achieved through the use of
an analog computational device and improvements in the design of the
galvanovoltammetric cell and accompanying electronic circuitry. An
analysis system, applicable to industrial use over a range of flow
rates and dissolved...
In order to determine the physical location of contaminants in soil, two solidified soil
"thin" sections, which preserve the undisturbed structural characteristics of the original
soil, containing weapons-grade plutonium from the Rocky Flats Environmental Test Site
were prepared. Two autoradiographic methods were used in radionuclide mapping:
contact autoradiography using CR-39®...
Air compressors are a significant industrial energy user and therefore a prime target for industrial energy audits. The project goals were to develop a software tool, AIRMaster, develop a methodology for performing compressed air system audits, and conduct field audits to refine the methodology and assess savings potential from six...
The Oregon Water Quality Decision Aid (OWQDA) is
a first-tier screening tool that allows you to make a broad
determination of the likelihood that a specific chemical,
when applied to a specific Oregon soil, will move through
the soil and contaminate groundwater. This determination
is called the groundwater vulnerability rating.
In 1990, the Clean Air Act (CAA) Amendments authorized the regulation of 188 hazardous air pollutants (HAP). Exposure to HAPs at sufficient concentrations and durations can increase both cancer and serious adverse non-carcinogenic effects. The purpose of this study was to conduct a human health risk assessment using data of...
An autonomous, in-situ instrument was developed to detect dissolved copper in seawater, suitable for deployment on time scales from weeks to months. A commercially available in-situ nitrate analyzer (YSI 9600) was adapted to measure copper (II) in seawater by chemiluminescence. Modifications included construction of a photomultiplier (PMT) based detector and...
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous contaminants formed from the incomplete combustion of organic material. These contaminants are of concern because of their widespread presence in the environment and toxic properties. In addition, PAHs encompass a class of diverse compounds with varying physicochemical properties and exist in the environment as...
Since Ranked Set Sampling (RSS) was proposed in 1952 by G.A. McIntyre, it has been the subject of many statistical investigations and a large number of field studies. Throughout these studies RSS has been proven to provide a better estimate of population the mean and variance than Simple Random Sampling...
Benzylsuccinate (BSA), methylbenzylsuccinate (methylBSA), and ethylbenzylsuccinate (ethylBSA) are unambiguous anaerobic biotransformation products from toluene, xylenes, and ethylbenzene decay, respectively, and may be used to indicate intrinsic bioremediation is occurring at hydrocarbon-contaminated sites. In order to improve upon current methods that detect and quantify anaerobic hydrocarbon metabolites in field samples, solid-phase-extraction...
Poor air quality can result in reduced productivity and higher absenteeism in students, fatigue, eye, nose and throat irritation and reduced comfort. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that 2 million education employees work in areas with poor indoor air quality.
The measurement of carbon dioxide often is...
Ambient high-volume (hi-vol) air samples were collected between March 15th and May 30th 2002, at Cheeka Peak Observatory (CPO), located on the tip of the Olympic Peninsula, Washington State. This sampling campaign was in conjunction with the 2002 Inter-Continental Transport and Chemical Transformation (ITCT 2K2) Campaign and the Photochemical Ozone...
Cloud reflectivity is a function of cloud liquid water content and droplet number concentration. Since cloud droplets form around pre-existing aerosol particles, cloud droplet number concentration depends on the availability of particles that can serve as cloud condensation nuclei. Given constant liquid water amount, increased availability of cloud condensation nuclei...
Long-haul diesel trucks carry the lion’s share of all shipped goods in the United States. The drivers of these trucks often live in these trucks for days, sometimes weeks, at a time as they deliver these goods. When stopped overnight, many of these drivers leave their engines idling to heat...
Baseline data for the first year of a two-year study to assess
the current status of ponderosa pine stands in southeastern
Montana relative to coal-fired electric power development are
presented. Sixteen permanent plots in pine stands were established
in eastern Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Several characteristics
believed to be...