BS EN 12341:1999 Air quality - Determination of the PM10 fraction of suspended particulate matter - Reference method and field test procedure to demonstrate reference equivalence of measurement methods
This standard specifies the performance of PM10 sampling instruments in order to harmonize the monitoring within the framework of the European Union Council Directive 96/62/EC [1] on ambient air quality assessment and management, and the first daughter directive. In the daughter directive, by convention the ISO thoracic sampling convention has been assimilated to the PM10 fraction (see annex A; [2]).
The standard specifies a test protocol for comparing the results of a candidate PM10 sampler with a reference PM10 one in a field test [3]. Basically, the reference equivalence awarded to a candidate sampler applies only to the range of conditions under which the field tests were carried out By carrying out the ambient field test in characteristic situations covering a wide range of relevant ambient parameters it is secured that reference equivalence does hold in prevailing conditions within European countries. Reference equivalence will explicitly not be awarded for specific situations (e.g. background only or urban situations only). Above all, the procedure given in this standard is thought to be a practical one, enabling European institutions or industries to assess candidate sampling systems under ambient conditions.
The reference equivalence awarded using the procedures given in this standard, only applies to the process of sampling SPM in ambient air. It does not deal with the equivalence of commonly employed automated methods (e.g. attenuation of a-radiation or the oscillating mass balance method) to analyse the ambient SPM collected on the collection substrate. The limit of detection and the precision of the analytical method are important considerations for the user, but their determination is outside the scope of this standard.
The main arguments for the designated field test procedure are elucidated in D.1.
BS EN 12341:1999 history
1970BS EN 12341:2023 Ambient air — Standard gravimetric measurement method for the determination of the PM10 or PM2,5 mass concentration of suspended particulate matter
2014BS EN 12341:2014 Ambient air. Standard gravimetric measurement method for the determination of the PM10 or PM2,5 mass concentration of suspended particulate matter
1999BS EN 12341:1999 Air quality - Determination of the PM10 fraction of suspended particulate matter - Reference method and field test procedure to demonstrate reference equivalence of measurement methods