What is to-15 Method?

EPA Method TO-15 is the procedure used to analyze air samples collected through canister sampling. “TO” stands for “toxic organics.” It is used to measure up to 97 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of the total 189 hazardous air pollutants listed in the Clean Air Act. It is used for testing grab samples of ambient air.

WHAT IS A to-15?

Determination of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in Air TO-15 Volatile Organics are defined as compounds having a vapor pressure greater than 10-1 Torr at 25EC and 760 mm Hg.

What is a summa canister?

A Summa canister is a stainless steel container that has had the internal surfaces specially passivated using a “Summa” process. This process combines an electropolishing step with a chemical deactivation step to produce a surface that is nearly chemically inert.

WHAT IS A to 15 test?

TO-15 is a performance-based method prepared by EPA as a guidance document for monitoring subsets of those volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are mentioned in Title III of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.

How do you collect air samples?

In active air sampling, air is passed through a tube that is filled with a solid sorbent material. The sorbent material chemically absorbs the contaminant(s). A sampling pump is used to collect an air sample through this method. Passive air sampling is the opposite of the active sampling technique.

What is the difference between indoor air quality and outdoor air quality?

According to the EPA, however, the levels of indoor air pollutants are often 2 to 5 times higher than outdoor levels, and in some cases these levels can exceed 100 times that of outdoor levels of the same pollutants. In other words, sometimes the air inside can be more harmful than the air outside.

How many types of air sampling are there?

Air samples typically fall into one of five categories: indoor air, ambient air, stationary sources (for instance, a smokestack or factory), soil vapor, and mobile sources (traffic). Each type is regulated differently with different sampling methods depending on what you are looking for.

How do you analyze air quality?

The Short Answer: Air quality is measured with the Air Quality Index, or AQI. The AQI works like a thermometer that runs from 0 to 500 degrees. However, instead of showing changes in the temperature, the AQI is a way of showing changes in the amount of pollution in the air.