Measurement of CO and O3 by real time analysis

The availability of real-time air quality data could make better and how it impacts the
environment and real time analysis will lead to reduced pollution. Also, more health conscious
citizens may choose alternate “healthy” routes based on the pollution information. It will benefit
them as well as others by reducing pollution concentration in peak roadways so everybody
breathes cleaner air.

Atmospheric pollution is a major problem facing all nations of the world. Rapid urban and
industrial growth has resulted in vast quantities of potentially harmful waste products being
released into the atmosphere. The atmosphere is the largest imaginable chemical reactor in which
pollutants may be converted into more harmful or harmless substances. Societies have been
reluctant to accept, or have simply failed to recognize the limitations of the cleaning properties of
the atmosphere and self-adaptation of the ecosystem Planet, with no remnant damages or
preventing a non-equilibrium status. The consequences has been that air pollution has affected
the health and wellbeing of people, has caused widespread damage to vegetation, crops, wildlife,
materials, buildings and climate, and has resulted in depletion of the scarce natural resources
needed for long-term economic development. In the past, the earth was considered virtually
infinite, and little thought was given to the polluting effects of our dumping wastes.

Air pollution adversely affects soil, water, crops, vegetation, human-made materials, buildings,
animals, wildlife, weather, climate, and transportation, as well as reduce economic values,
personal comfort and well being. More and more, in the present time of the society of
knowledge, the population and the policy makers are convinced and engaged for preserving the
biodiversity that is fundamental to human welfare and economic development, and plays a
critical role in meeting human needs by maintaining the ecological processes on which our
survival depends. Broad-scale ecological systems provide benefits such as clean air and fresh
water that are needed by everyone, whether in urban or rural settings.
Fig. 1. Set-up of the sampling system of an air quality station with air suction through tubes and
with calibration gas switching.

In this lecture we have focus on two air pollutants for the real time analysis

1: Carbon Mono-oxide (CO)

2: Ozone (O3)
1: Carbon Mono-oxide (CO)

CO is an important criteria pollutant which is ubiquitous in urban environment.

CO production mostly occurs from sources having incomplete combustion. Due to its
toxicity and appreciable mass in atmosphere, it should be considered as an important
pollutant in AQI scheme.
CO rapidly diffuses across alveolar, capillary and placental membranes.
Approximately 80-90% of absorbed CO binds with Hb to from Carboxyhaemoglobin
(COHb), which is a specific biomarker of exposure in blood. The affinity of Hb for CO
is 200-250 times than that of oxygen. In patients with hemolytic anemia, the CO
production rate was 2–8 times higher and blood COHb concentration was 2–3 times
higher than in normal person (WHO 2000).
The initial symptoms of CO poisoning may include headache, dizziness, drowsiness,
and nausea. These initial symptoms may advance to vomiting, loss of consciousness, and
collapse if prolonged or high exposures are encountered and may lead to Coma or death
if high exposures continue.
A US study estimated that 6 per cent of the congestive heart failures and hospitalizations
in the cities were related to an increase in CO concentration in ambient atmosphere
(WHO 2000). Reduction in the ability of blood to transport oxygen leads to tissue
hypoxia. The body compensates for this stress by increasing cardiac output and the blood
flow to specific areas, such as the heart and brain. As the level of COHb in the blood
increases, the person suffers from effects which become progressively more serious.

CO has both 1 hr and 8 hr standard.

Pollutant Time Concentration in Ambient Air Methods of Measurement

Weighted Industrial, Ecologically  Non dispersive
Average Residential, Sensitive Area Infrared (NDIR)
Rural and (Notified by Spectroscopy
other Areas Central
Government)
Carbon Mono- 8 Hours * 02 02
oxide 1 Hour ** 04 04
(CO),mg/m3
* Annual Arithmetic mean of minimum 104 measurements in a
year at a particular site taken twice a week 24 hourly at uniform
intervals. ** 24 hourly or 8 hourly or 1 hourly monitored values,
as applicable, shall be complied with 98% of the time in a year.
2% of the time, they may exceed the limits but not on two
consecutive days of monitoring.

For CO and CO2, NDIR photometry is the most commonly used measuring technique, which is
also unrivalled in its application for the measurement of these gases in the ambient air range.
As shown in the Fig. 2, the instruments for CO measurements uses the modulation effect that
occurs with infrared absorption of sample gas itself when sample gas and zero gas are alternately
sent to its cell at a certain flow rate using a solenoid valve which is actuated at a frequency of 1
Hz. Unless the gas concentration of the measured component is changed in the cell, the output
from the detector essentially becomes zero, therefore, the zero drift dose not occur. Since the
instrument also uses the AS-type detector, extremely high-accuracy results are obtained without
any effect of the interference component.
The radiation source is an infrared radiation emitter. The radiation - modulated by a chopper -
passes a chamber containing the probe and in parallels a chamber containing a reference gas. To
reduce the influence of interfering gases optical filters are used. The content of the measurement
cell receives periodically infrared radiation with different strength, which results in different
temperature and pressure effects. The pressure effects are hence transferred to electrical signals
by a sensor, and this signal correlates to the measured CO concentration. Some systems use the
pressure waves for detection, while others use directly the IR receiving an optical detector to
measure the CO concentration.

Fig. 2. CO monitoring device schematic

Ozone in ambient air Standard:

The national ambient air quality standards for ozone is presented in the table

Pollutant Time Concentration in Ambient Air Methods of Measurement

Weighted Industrial, Ecologically  UV Photometric
Average Residential, Sensitive Area  Chemiluminescence
Rural and (Notified by  Chemical Method
other Areas Central
Government)
Ozone (O3), 8 Hours * 100 100
μg/m3 1 Hour ** 180 180
* Annual Arithmetic mean of minimum 104 measurements in a
year at a particular site taken twice a week 24 hourly at
uniform intervals. ** 24 hourly or 8 hourly or 1 hourly
monitored values, as applicable, shall be complied with 98% of
the time in a year. 2% of the time, they may exceed the limits
but not on two consecutive days of monitoring.

Fig. 3. O3 monitoring device schematic (Horiba, User manual) 1 - Sample intake, 2 - Three
way valve, 3 - Ozone generator (internal calibration), 4 - Measurement cell, 5 - Hg-Low
pressure lamp, Mirror, 6 - Interference filter, 7 - Photo multiplier, 8 - Quartz - triple prisms,
9 – Amplifier, 10 – Display, 11 - Exit gas sample, 12 – Charcoal, 13 - Excess air exit.
Ozone in the air we breathe can harm our health. People most at risk from breathing air
containing ozone include people with asthma, children, older adults, and people who are active
outdoors, especially outdoor workers. In addition, people with certain genetic characteristics, and
people with reduced intake of certain nutrients, such as vitamins C and E, are at greater risk from
ozone exposure.

Breathing ozone can trigger a variety of health problems including chest pain, coughing, throat
irritation, and airway inflammation. It also can reduce lung function and harm lung tissue. Ozone
can worsen bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma, leading to increased medical care.

What health problems can ozone cause?

Ozone can cause the muscles in the airways to constrict, trapping air in the alveoli. This leads to
wheezing and shortness of breath.

Ozone can cause the muscles in the airways to constrict, trapping air in the alveoli. This leads to
wheezing and shortness of breath.

Ozone can:

Make it more difficult to breathe deeply and vigorously.

Cause shortness of breath, and pain when taking a deep breath.

Cause coughing and sore or scratchy throat.

Inflame and damage the airways.

Aggravate lung diseases such as asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.

Increase the frequency of asthma attacks.

Make the lungs more susceptible to infection.

Continue to damage the lungs even when the symptoms have disappeared.

Cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

These effects have been found even in healthy people, but can be more serious in people with
lung diseases such as asthma. They may lead to increased school absences, medication use, visits
to doctors and emergency rooms, and hospital admissions.

Long-term exposure to ozone is linked to aggravation of asthma, and is likely to be one of many
causes of asthma development. Long-term exposures to higher concentrations of ozone may also
be linked to permanent lung damage, such as abnormal lung development in children.
Recent studies consistently report associations between short-term ozone exposures and total
non-accidental mortality, which includes deaths from respiratory causes. Studies suggest that
long-term exposure to ozone also may increase the risk of death from respiratory causes, but the
evidence is not as strong as the evidence for short-term exposure.