UBC School of Population & Public Health Laboratory

Standard Operating Procedure: personal Data Ram Model pDR-1000AN

Creation Date: Dec 15, 2003 Introduction: Particulate matter can be classified as either a solid particulate or a liquid particulate. Solid particulate matter includes dusts, smoke, fibres, microbial agents (bacteria, viruses, fungal spores), and fumes. Liquid particulate matter includes mists and fogs. Although we are exposed to these agents on a daily basis, overexposure of one or more of these agents may cause adverse heath effects. Exposure to particulate matter can cause respiratory irritation such as sneezing and coughing, skin irritation and may lead to more serious respiratory and cardiovascular effects. The MIE personal Data Ram (pDR) continuously measures and displays the concentration of airborne particulate matter (liquid or solid). The measurement principle relies on the optical properties of the particles and their ability to scatter light. The larger the particle is entering the light path, the greater the degree of scattering. The PDR passively moves air across a light path and records the degree of the scattered light. The scattering of light is then converted into an electrical signal and recorded as a mass concentration (mg/m3). Maximum response of the instrument is achieved with particles ranging in size from 0.1 to 10 m. Limit of Detection: 0.001 mg/m3 Upper Limit of Detection: 400 mg/m3 Accuracy: +/- 5% of reading Memory Allowance: 13,391 data points (within up to 99 runs) Operational Procedure: 1. Ensure that the battery pack is fully charged (charge overnight). A fully charged battery should last up to 72 hours. 2. Attach the battery pack to the bottom of the pDR monitor by rotating the large thumbscrew on the battery pack. This should lineup with a screw hole on the monitor. NOTE: Alternatively, you can use a 9V battery but live with shorter run time (20 hrs) 3. Prior to sampling the instrument should be zeroed in a clean environment. a. Place the monitor inside the provided plastic zero bag and carefully close the bag with the zipper. Failure to close the bag properly can result in incorrect zeroing, which may affect readings. 1

b. Squeeze out all the air in the bag and attach the hand pump with filter onto the red valve on the zero bag. c. Pump the hand pump until the bag begins to bulge slightly. Do not over inflate since you have to press the buttons on the instrument. d. Press the ON/OFF button to turn instrument on. e. Press ENTER to start zeroing. Calibration takes ~2min and will display CALIBRATION OK if successful. f. Press NEXT to exit calibration mode. 4. To run and log a test using the default settings: a. Press NEXT, LOGGING DISABLED should appear on the screen. b. Press ENTER to enable the built-in datalogger. The screen will display: Log interval 60s TAG#: ? (This is your run #, record it) NOTE: If you want to change the logging parameters, please refer to the manual. c. Press NEXT to exit the logging menu, and press NEXT 5 times. The display should show START RUN: ENTER. d. Press ENTER, to start run. The instrument will go through a start up and than the current particle concentration should be displayed on the unit. e. Press EXIT to stop the run. Press ENTER to confirm. 5. To turn off the unit, press ON/OFF key. Press ENTER to confirm. Data Downloading: 1. Install and open the software provided with the unit. 2. Connect the instrument to a serial port with the supplied cable. 3. Press ON/OFF key to turn unit on, and press NEXT repeatedly until CONNECT TO PC is displayed. 4. On the main page, click on the Com Port Select icon and select your com port connection, click on close. 5. To obtain your data results: a. Click on the Logged data tab and select the pDR icon on the side bar. This will allow you to download your data. b. Click on the save this data as a CSV file icon on the side bar to import into excel. You can also save it to the clipboard and directly paste it into an Excel file. 6. To print/save a graph of your results: a. Click on the Graph data tab. Your results should already be on the screen. b. If the results are not displayed, click on the pDR icon on the side bar. A graph of your results will now be displayed. c. Using the icons on your screen you can alter the graph options. d. Once you have your graph complete, click on the copy graph displayed to clip board icon.

e. Open a new Word document and use the paste function to paste your graph into the document. 7. To delete the data when you are done. Select pDR from the top menu and Delete data. The instrument memory is now clear. NOTE: You can use this software to also configure the pDR for your sampling runs (Configure data).