Reliability and Accuracy of the Deployable Particulate Impact Sampler for Application to Spatial PM_2.5 Sampling in Seoul, Korea

서울시 PM_2.5 공간 샘플링을 위한 Deployable Particulate Impact Sampler의 성능 검증 연구

Previous studies of health effects of $PM_{2.5}$ performed spatial monitoring campaigns to assess spatial variability of $PM_{2.5}$ across people's residences. Highly reliable portable and cost-effective samplers will be useful for such campaigns. This study aimed to investigate applicability of the Deployable Particulate Impact Sampler(DPIS), one of the compact impact samplers, to spatial monitoring campaigns of $PM_{2.5}$ in Seoul, Korea. The investigation focused on the consistency of $PM_{2.5}$ concentrations measured by DPISs compared to those by the Low-volume Cyclone sampler (LCS). LCS has operated at a fixed site in the Seoul National University Yeongeon campus, Seoul, Korea since 2003 and provided qualified $PM_{2.5}$ data. $PM_{2.5}$ sampling of DPISs was carried out at the same site from November 17, 2015 through February 3, 2016. $PM_{2.5}$ concentrations were quantified by the gravimetric method. Using a duplicated DPIS, we confirmed the reliability of DPIS by computing relative precision and mean square error-based R squared value ($R^2$). Relative precision was one minus the difference of measurements between two samplers relative to the sum. For accuracy, we compared $PM_{2.5}$ concentrations from four DPISs (DPIS_Tg, DPIS_To, DPIS_Qg, and DPIS_Qo) to those of LCS. Four samplers included two types of collection filters(Teflon, T; quartz, Q) and impaction discs(glass fiber filter, g; pre-oiled porous plastic disc, o). We assessed accuracy using accuracy value which is one minus the difference between DPIS and LCS $PM_{2.5}$ relative to LCS $PM_{2.5}$ in addition to $R^2$. DPIS showed high reliability (average precision=97.28%, $R^2=0.98$). Accuracy was generally high for all DPISs (average accuracy=83.78~88.88%, $R^2=0.89{\sim}0.93$) except for DPIS_Qg (77.35~78.35%, 0.82~0.84). Our results of high accuracy of DPIS compared to LCS suggested that DPIS will help the assessment of people's individual exposure to $PM_{2.5}$ in extensive spatial monitoring campaigns.