Monitoring acidic air pollutants near Rome by means of diffusion lines: development of a specific quality control procedure

A quality control procedure was developed for acidic air pollutant monitori ng using diffusion lines (a series of annular diffusion denuders followed b y a filter pack). The procedure covers the main stages involved in obtainin g concentration data using this technique, i.e. preparation of the diffusio n lines, sampling, chemical analysis of the samples and overall data analys is. This QC procedure was applied to a 1-yr programme for monitoring daily levels of HCl, HONO, HNO3, SO2, NH3 and related salts in a rural site near Rome. Applying the QC procedure led to production of a good-quality data se t, thus confirming the reliability of this technique. (C) 2000 Elsevier Sci ence Ltd. All rights reserved.