A TESTING TECHNIQUE OF STREAKER AEROSOL SAMPLERS VIA PIXE ANALYSIS

Streaker aerosol samplers allow an hourly time resolution in the parti culate elemental concentrations and are a useful tool for studying air pollution in complex urban areas. We have tested this device for coll ection efficiency and aerodynamic diameter separation. Our evaluations have been based on the simultaneous exposure of two streaker samplers in the same site (equipped. respectively. with one and two substrates ) and of a seven stage Battele impactor. Ah the filters and the impact ion plates have been analysed by PIXE at the INFN accelerator in the U niversity of Florence, Italy. The size distribution of the more abunda nt elements and the collection efficiency have been evaluated by compa rison among the three samplers. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.