NATL INST. OF STAND & TECH N8S

A111D7 3TD37S

NBSIR 83-2767

PUBLICATIONS

Measurement of the Concentration of

Sulfur Dioxide, Nitrogen Oxides, and

Ozone in the National Archives Building

November 1 983

QC »*RTM£NT OF COMMERCE

IQQ BUREAU Or STANDARDS

.1157

33-2767

1933 A -«n

NBSIR 83-2767

I

\ • MEASUREMENT OF THE CONCENTRATION OF

SULFUR DIOXIDE, NITROGEN OXIDES, AND

OZONE IN THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES BUILDING

&ATIONAt BUREAU Qg STANDARDS

LIBRARY Cli'rc. .

l o o

* U 5 Cp

No. 85 - 37^7

C, 2-

E. E. Hughes and R. Myers

Gas and Particulate Science Division

Center for Analytical Chemistry

National Bureau of Standards

Wasnington, D.C. 20234

November 1 983

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, Malcolm Baldrigs, Secretary

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS, Ernest Ambler. Director

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Introduction 1 Experimental Approach 1 Sample Sites 2 Data Collection — Sulfur Dioxide and Nitrogen Oxides 2

Data Collection — Ozone 3

Calibration 3

Results - Oxides of Nitrogen 4

Results — Sulfur Dioxide 5

Results — Ozone 6

Other Measurements 6

Conclusions 7 Acknowledgment 7 Attachment: Report of the 1977 study at the National Archives building .... 18

LIST OF TABLES

Table No. Page

1 Sampling Location and Dates at The National Archives 2

2 Relationship Between Air Inlet and Relative Concentration of

Nitrogen Oxides 5

3 Difference of Sulfur Dioxide in the Stack Areas Compared to

Incoming Air 6

4 Hourly Average Concentrations of Nitrogen Oxides Measured at National

Archives, Madison Building and East Wing 8

5 Hourly Average Concentrations of Nitrogen Oxides Measured by D.C.

Government at 24th and L Streets, N.W 10

6 Hourly Average Concentrations of Sulfur Dioxide Measured at the

National Archives 12

7 Hourly Average Concentrations of Sulfur Dioxide Measured by D.C.

Government at 24th and L Streets, N.W 13

8 Ozone Measured at 24th and L Streets, N.W. by the District of Columbia . . 14

9 Summary of Temperature and Relative Humidity Measurements 15

FIGURES

The figures consist of five figures that are plots of the concentration of oxides

of nitrogen measured at different locations. These begin on page 15.
.
Introduction

The ubiquitous nature of certain gaseous substances in the atmosphere assures us that if these substances exist in appreciable quantities outside of a building they

will surely exist to an equal or lesser degree within the building unless some sort

of barrier is interposed between the interior and exterior of the building. A brief

study performed in 1977 at the National Archives indicated that both ozone and

nitrogen oxides passed freely into the building through the ventilating system, but

that sulfur dioxide was reduced in concentration compared to that expected from the

outside air. The study described in this report was performed in a similar manner,

but with several major differences in scope and with a somewhat different outcome.

[The original report is appended.]

In the 1977 National Archives study, ozone, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide

were measured in only one area. In the present study, measurements were made at

eleven locations, each supplied by a different supply fan. 1 The conclusion reached

in 1977 regarding the reduction in sulfur dioxide could not be confirmed by the

present study, although the finding regarding nitrogen oxide was essentially the same.

In addition, measurements were made at single sites in the Madison Building of

the Library of Congress and in the library area of the East Wing of the National

Gallery of Art. These measurements were intended to offer a comparison between an older ventilating system (circa 1932) and newer systems designed specifically for

buildings intended for archival storage.

Experimental Approach

The measurements had a two-fold purpose: first, to determine whether or not the

ventilating system modified the quality of atmospheric air during passage into the

building, and second, to measure the concentration of each of the three species of

interest in air passing into the stack (archival storage) areas of the building. The

second purpose can be fulfilled by interior measurements using calibrated instruments.

The first could be satisfied by simultaneous measurments of the air entering the

ventilating system and air exiting the system into the stacks. However, such simultaneous measurements would require duplicate instrumentation, considerably more time

at each location, and substantially increased costs. In any case, it was concluded

in the 1977 National Archives study that this approach was not feasible because of

the geometry of the building and the inaccessibility of the intakes of many of the

systems. It was concluded, nonetheless, that observations of the pattern of concentration changes in the ambient atmosphere of Washington, D.C. and the pattern of

changes within the building would yield sufficient information regarding the current

capability of the system for removing portions of the pollutant gases of interest.

Fortunately, the District of Columbia continuously monitors these gases, and the data

from such measurements were made readily available for this study.

The supply air entering each sampling site was measured for a minimum of 24

hours, but in most cases for at least 48 hours. Nitrogen oxides as NOx (N02 + NO) and

sulfur dioxide were measured continuously, while ozone was measured for several short

periods of time during each day of sampling. Calibrations were performed at the

beginning and end of each sampling period, and once every 24 hours during that period.

Permeation tubes were used to calibrate the sulfur dioxide analyzer, while permeation

tubes and an analyzed mixture of nitric oxide in nitrogen were used to calibrate the

nitrogen oxide analyzer.

I x Nine consecutively numbered heating and air conditioning systems serve the National

1 Archives Building. Each, with the exception of systems 2 and 4, is composed of two

supply fans and one return fan. Systems 2 and 4 each have one supply fan and one

^

return fan.

1

The ozone instrument was operated as an "absolute" instrument whose measurement

characteristics were predetermined at NBS. It was only necessary to measure

instrument temperature and barometric pressure to calculate the ozone content of the

sampled air.

During each analytical period several measurements of barometric pressure,

temperature, and relative humidity were made. These measurements were made near the

analytical site, away from the direct flow of supply air, but close enough to be

reasonably sure that the sampled air originated in the particular ventilating system.

Temperature and humidity measurements are summarized in Table 9.

Sample Sites

The sample sites are listed in Table 2 in the order in which the measurements were

made. The information regarding stack areas and the identification of the supply fans

and ventilating system supplying each area was furnished by the National Archives.

The sample probe was located directly in the path of the air entering the area from

the ventilating system. In most cases, the probe was moved at least once during

each sampling period to an area away from the inlet vent.

The sample site in the Madison Building was in the Manuscript Preparation Section

adjacent to a doorway marked LM123. The sample inlet probe was located about 2.5

meters above floor level.

Table 1

.

Sampling Location and Dates at The National Archives.

Sequence Sampling Site Supply Fan Sampling Period

1 3E3 9A Dec. 1-3, 1982

2 1 E2A 5B Dec. 3-7, 1982

3 9E1 7A Dec. 7-9, 1982

4 7E4 9B Dec. 9-10, 1982

5 10E2 7B Dec. 12-17, 1982

6 9W4 8B Dec. 28-30, 1982

7 9W3 8A Jan. 3-5, 1983

8 9W2 6A Jan. 5-7, 1983

9 1 9W2 6B Jan. 11-13, 1983

10 17W1A IB Jan. 13-14, 1983

11 3W2B 5A Jan. 19-27, 1983

Sampling in the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art was done in stack level

"B" in the library area. The probe was located at ceiling level adjacent to an air

inlet duct.

Data Collection — Sulfur Dioxide and Nitrogen Oxides

The signals generated by the sulfur dioxide and the nitrogen oxides were continuously recorded on a strip chart recorder. The "zero" for each instrument was established during daily calibration periods by analyzing "zero air" produced by a clean air generator. The signal- produced by the sampled air was adjusted for zero

and converted to a concentration using one of the calibration factors determined

2

during the daily calibration. Several points on each chart were read during each

hourly period and the final concentrations are expressed as hourly averages. All of

the hourly averages for sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide for each sample site are included in Tables 4 and 6. Tables 5, 7 and 8 include the hourly averages of nitrogen

oxides, sulfur dioxide and ozone measured by the Air Monitoring Division of the Bureau

of Air and Water Quality of the District of Columbia.

Data Collection - Ozone

Ozone measurements at the first few sites were made at approximately 30 second

intervals for periods of up to 16 hours. As the study progressed, it became obvious

that little or no ozone was present in the building and the sample periods were

shortened in length. Initially, the data were averaged over the sampling period or

for one-hour intervals (whichever was larger), and the averages were compared to the

averages from "zero air".

Calibration

The accuracy required for a study such as the one described in this report is not

great. An uncertainty in the measurements of 10% will still allow reasonable conclusions to be drawn. It was possible, therefore, to devise a calibration scheme that

was adequate relative to the accuracy needed, and which also lay within the bounds set

by the requirements for portability, availability, and economy. As previously

mentioned, permeation tubes were used as calibrants for sulfur dioxide and nitrogen

dioxide, while a gas mixture of nitric oxide in nitrogen was used to calibrate for

nitric oxide. The uncertainty of the gas mixture was ±2 percent relative, and was established by analysis against primary gravimetric standards.

The uncertainty of composition of a calibration mixture generated by permeation

tubes depends on the uncertainty of the permeation rate of the tube and the uncertainty in the flow of diluent air passing over the tube. The flow of air was measured

with a calibrated rotameter. The permeation rate at the time of each calibration was estimated from the measured temperature dependence of the rate, and the temperature of

storage just before calibration. It is difficult however to assign uncertainties to

the various parameters affecting the concentration; therefore, the uncertainties of

the concentrations of the calibration mixture generated with permeation tubes are estimated from measured instrument responses. This assumes that the instrument is

stable and that the day-to-day variations are due to differences between the calculated and actual concentrations. The observed variation of the sensitivity (signal/

concentration) for both sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides analyzers calibrated with

permeation tubes was about ±10 percent relative over the more than two months course

of the measurements. It should be noted that the ±10 percent variation affects the

absolute measurement and not the relative measurements. That is, variations during

an analysis can be defined with much greater certainty than can the absolute

concentration at any time.

The calibration mixture uncertainty affects the measurement of sulfur dioxide

much more than the oxides of nitrogen. This is because the primary calibration of

the oxides of nitrogen depended on a stable gas mixture, with the permeation tubes

used as an additional confirmation of instrument sensitivity (and to assure that the

measured NOx reflected the true sum of NO + N02

). Consequently, the maximum uncertainty of the measurement of oxide of nitrogen does not exceed ±5 percent relative.

The ozone instrument is essentially an absolute photometer. The absorption

path length and the absorption coefficient for ozone are both known with a small

uncertainty. It is only necessary to measure the temperature and pressure of the

sample in the absorption cell to allow a calculation of the ozone concentration.

However, because little or no ozone was measured at any of the sampling sites, it was

3
.
really necessary only to be sure that the instrument was on and functioning during

each sampling period.

Results - Oxides of Nitrogen

The principal source of oxides of nitrogen in Washington, D.C. is the internal

combustion engine of motorized vehicles. Since these oxides are distributed over the

entire urban area, it is expected that patterns of concentration would be similar in

different parts of the city. This we found to be true when comparing the concentrations measured by the District of Columbia at 24th and L Streets, N.W., with concentrations measured at the National Archives, the Madison Building of the Library of

Congress, and the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art (Tables 4 and 5). In

general, the diurnal pattern of nitrogen oxide at any location shows two peaks

corresponding to the morning and evening rush-hours. The minimum concentration

occurs between 2:00 and 5:00 a.m. During daylight hours between the morning and

evening rush there is another period of decreased concentration. However, this

concentration is usually higher than the early morning minimum. Figure 1 represents

measurements made over a 48-hour period at site 9W2 in the National Archives and

measurements made during the same period at 24th and L, N.W. While the magnitude of

the peaks are different, the peaks occur at the same times and, more importantly, the

periods of reduced traffic (and presumably more diffuse sources) show surprisingly

good coincidence. The differences in peak heights are most likely due to different

physical locations of the sample probes and local variation in traffic density. The

24th and L probe is suspended at a height of about 8 meters above L Street. The

sample probe at the Archives was located inside the building and was sampling air

obtained from rooftop level.

Figure 2 represents similar measurements made at site 9W4, and Figure 3 represents

measurements made at site 9E1 . Site 9W4 gave results a little more typical than 9W2,

only in that the coincidence of the two separate curves was somewhat less ideal. The

measurements at 9E1 illustrate a situation which is not readily explained. Beginning

around 1700 of Day 1 very unexpectedly high concentrations were recorded, and the

signal exceeded the range of the recorder at the Archives' site early in the evening.

The interesting point is that the concentration within the Archives is precisely

tracking the external atmospheric concentration.

In several cases, the concentration of nitrogen oxides within the Archives

exceeded that measured by the District of Columbia throughout the entire sampling

interval or during a substantial part of the interval. The differences between the

District of Columbia measurements and the measurements in the Archives can be correlated with the location of the intake for a particular system. If the results are examined carefully, the two systems with four attic or roof intakes have lower

nitrogen oxide contents than the measurements made simultaneously by the District of

Columbia. Those systems with intakes at ground level show higher values than the

simultaneous District of Columbia measurements, with few exceptions. Even the

exceptions, 9E1 and 10E2, show the correlation during part of the sampling period.

This is summarized in Table 2.

The oxides of nitrogen measured at the Madison Building of the Library of

Congress and at the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art track the concentration

measured by the District of Columbia in a similar manner to the National Archives

(Figs. 4 and 5). Perhaps because the ventilating system intakes for these two

buildings are located at rooftop level, the measurements inside are generally less

than the measurements at 24th and L, N.W.

4

Table 2. Relationship Between

Oxides.

Air Inlet and Relative Concentration of Nitrogen

Supply

Fan

Stack Intake Location Archives Relative to D.C.

8A 9W3 Attic Less

8B 9W4 II II

9A 3E3 II ll

9B 7E4 It II

IB 17W1A Ground Greater

5A 3W2B It ll

5B 1 E2A II ll

6A 9W2 II II

6B 1 9W2 II ll

7A 9E1 II Inconclusive

7B 10E2 II ll

Results — Sulfur Dioxide

The bulk of the sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere arises from a small number of

fixed sources unlike the oxides of nitrogen which arise from a large number of widely

distributed sources. Consequently, sulfur dioxide measured at a particular location

will vary according to source strength and wind direction. Because of this, it is

difficult to relate the concentration observed by the District of Columbia to measurements made at the National Archives.

Sulfur dioxide was detected in the incoming air at all of the sample sites at

the National Archives. The hourly average concentrations are shown in Table 6. The

hourly average concentrations measured at 24th and L Streets, N.W. are shown in Table

7. The reason for the wide variation in concentrations at different locations and at

different times in the Archives is not known at the present time and, as yet, no attempt has been made to correlate results at a particular location to wind direction,

ambient temperature, or other meteorological parameters.

The significance of the sulfur dioxide measurements at the National Archives

became obvious when compared to the results obtained at the Madison Building and the

East Wing of the National Gallery. The sulfur dioxide concentration at these latter

two sites did not exceed the lower detectable limit. At the time of the analyses,

this limit was 0.0005 ppm at the Madison Building and 0.001 ppm at the East Wing of

the National Gallery. (It should be noted that during a period of about one hour on February 8, 1983 the instrument noise level was such that a detectable limit of

0.005 ppm was observed at the East Wing.) During the sampling periods at the Madison

Building and the National Gallery, the concentrations measured by the District

Government were consistently above the lower detectable limits (Table 7).

The concentrations measured in the Archives are consistently larger than those

measured at 24th and L Streets, N.W. If the averages of the two sets of measurements

are compared, it is found that the ratio of the average of the Archives measurements

to the average of the 24th and L Streets measurements is always less than 1.0.

5

However, the value ranges from 0.86 down to 0.16 with no obvious relationship between

location of intake and the ratio.

Results - Ozone

No significant concentration of ozone was found at any of the locations sampled

either in the National Archives, the Madison Building, or the East Wing of the

National Gallery. The data supplied by the District of Columbia (Table 8) indicated

a maximum of 21 ppb during any sampling period. Measurements made at the same time

at all locations were indistinguishable from zero. The explanation is that, given

a low ambient concentration to begin with and anticipating substantial losses in the

air handling system, it is reasonable to expect that little ozone will reach the

stack area. The situation may be quite different at times when the ambient ozone

concentration is higher (such as during the summer or fall), but during the months of

December, January, and February, the absence of ozone inside the buildings is not

unexpected.

Other Measurements

The measurements at the National Archives summarized earlier in this report were

all made with the sample probes positioned directly in the air stream issuing from an inlet vent. This was done in order to assess the quality of the incoming air without

allowing the possibility of alteration of the composition by local materials or conditions. At several sample sites, the probes were removed from the inlet duct and were

placed in the stack area in a position out of direct line with the inlet vent. While

no change in the concentration of the oxides of nitrogen was observed, in several

cases a reduction of up to 50 percent of the sulfur dioxide was seen. More often,

the reduction was less, but it occurred often enough to be of some potential interest.

Table 3 contains a qualitative summary of the effect observed at the various sites at

the National Archives.

Table 3. Difference o

6f Sulfur Dioxide in the Stack Areas Compared to Incoming Air.

Location Observation

3E3 15% Reduction

1 E2A No difference

9E1 25% Reduction

7E4 Inconclusi ve 10E2 50% Reduction

9W4 Not measured in stack area

9W3 20% Reduction

9W2 50% Reduction

1 9W2 25% Reduction

17W1A 25% Reduction

3W2B Not measured in stack area

Caution should be exercised in drawing conclusions from these results without

further observations.

6

A series of ozone measurements were made in areas of the Archives at and near

several high-use copying machines to determine whether ozone was being generated by

the machines, and if so, whether it was being carried into document storage areas.

No significant difference was observed between the instrument readings in the immediate vicinity of the copying machines (area 7E1), the stack area directly over the

duplicating area (8E1), and measurements made at other locations throughout the

Archives. The measurements indicate that the copying machines are not contributing

a measurable amount of ozone to the atmosphere inside the National Archives.

Conclusions

The ventilating systems of the National Archives, the Madison Building of the

Library of Congress and the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art do not appreciably reduce the concentration of nitrogen oxides in the air which passes through

them. However, the ambient concentration of the oxides of nitrogen may decrease with

increasing altitude, and a system drawing air from rooftop level may exhibit a lower

concentration than a system with an inlet at ground level.

The measurements indicate that all sulfur dioxide is removed from the air

entering the systems at the Madison Building and the East Wing, while the concentration entering the system at the National Archives appears to pass through the system

with little or no change.

The effect of ventilating systems on the concentration of ozone could not be

determined primarily because of the relative absence of ozone in the atmosphere.

Acknowledgment

This work was sponsored by the National Archive and Record Service and by the

Public Building Service of the General Services Administration. We wish to thank

Mr. Amantha Padmanabha and the staff of the Air Monitoring Division of the Department

of Environmental Services of the District of Columbia for their advice and data.

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10

Table

5.

Continued.

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11

Table 6. Hourly Average Concentrations 9

of Sulfur Dioxide Measured at the National

Archives

.

Sampling Location and Starting Date

3E3 1 E2A 9E1 7E4 1 0E2

Time 12/2/82 12/6 12/8 12/9 12/15

10 1 5

D 11 2 8 11

12 8 3 9 _ — A 13 12 2 9 2

14 9 8 4 6

Y 15 28 9 8 o» — 16 24 9 9

17 19 9 10 6

1 18 18 9 9 6

19 20 9 7 5 20 26 8 7 4

21 — 8 7 4

22 -- 9 6 3

23 — 8 6 2

24 — 8 5 2

1 - - 9 5 3

D 2 — 12 5 4

3 -- 12 4 4

A 4 — 12 4 4

5 — 12 4 4

Y 6 -- 13 3 4

7 — 16 3 4

8 -- 17 ' 2 4

2 9 -- 10 2 3

10 12 11 1 2

11 11 5

12 12 5 13 5

14 5 15 5 16 5 17 4

18 5 19 5 20 5

21 5 22 7

23 8

24 7

1 5

D 2 5

3 4

A 4 4

5 3

Y 6 4

7 4

8 4

3 9 4

10 3

11 2

12 2

Average 18 2 10 5 4

3 - Concentrations in parts per billion by mole

9W4 9W3 9W2 1 9W2 17W1A 3W2B

12/29 1/4/83 1/5 1/12 1/13 1/26

5 3 6 9 20

4 5 9 9 16

2 5 9 9 16

2 5 6 8 9 18

2 5 7 8 9 20

2 5 6 9 10 22

2 4 6 9 12 25

2 6 6 9 12 28

2 5 6 9 11 23

3 4 6 10 12 32

5 4 6 10 12 34

7 4 6 10 16 30

6 4 6 9 17 30

4 4 6 10 15 33

4 5 7 10 16 32

4 2 7 8 14 29

4 3 7 7 13 26

4 4 8 7 11 25

3 5 7 6 10 25

3 6 8 6 11 25

4 5 8 8 10 25

6 4 9 10 9 28

3 4 12 5 8 21

3 2 9

1 13

11

9

8

8

9

10

8

8

8

10

11

10

7

7

6

4

6

6

8

54

3

4 4 7 8 11 25

(ppb)

.

Table 7. Hourly Average Concentrations 3

of Sulfur Dioxide Measured by D.C. Government

at 24th and L Streets, N.W. — - — -- Starting Date

Time 12/2/82 12/6 12/8 12/9 12/15 12/29 1/4/83 1/5 1/12 1/13 1/26

10 14 24 26

D 11 4 18 28 10 24 27 29

12 30 4 16 — 13 21 13 28 26

A 13 41 7 15 — — 11 15 16 11 25 32

14 56 14 '10 — 15 15 10 10 23 28

Y 15 99 17 8 — 14 21 11 10 28 27

16 36 23 11 — 8 20 9 18 36 24

17 49 22 10 47 13 19 10 20 32 26

1 18 15 42 9 61 16 23 12 21 33 26

19 16 73 12 38 18 23 8 22 35 30

20 37 35 21 38 28 18 9 20 34 34

21 34 12 27 33 37 21 8 19 33 34

22 23 10 22 36 37 20 6 17 32 36

23 16 10 14 39 26 19 4 17 36 28

24 17 10 13

‘ 36 20 27 4 19 36 28

1 29 15 20 36 19 24 3 20 40 23

D 2 27 20 27 59 18 25 4 22 42 30

3 9 16 29 41 19 24 7 22 40 28

A 4 5 16 25 38 22 19 11 23 46 25

5 5 14 17 40 33 32 12 19 45 23

Y 6 10 16 25 24 28 34 15 20 35 26

7 26 24 29 10 30 36 23 27 33 29

8 34 27 47 15 • 30 25 50 28 32 46

2 9 33 13 48 25 26 24 25 25 32 40

10 27 7 20 20 30 18 25

11 17 29 13 15 25

12 28 18 14 34

13 13 25

14 14 27

15 13 29

16 13 35

17 15 38

18 16 44

19 15 43

20 16 37

21 29 35

22 25 43

23 20 41

24 16 26

1 17 21

D 2 12 22

3 7 27

A 4 7 14

5 8 18

Y 6 10 17

7 14 20

8 19 21

3 9 19 18

10 14

11 11 12 17

Average 29 7 20 21 23 22 23 21 19 34 29

Concentrations in parts per billion by mole (ppb).

13

Table 8. Ozone Measured at 24th and L Streets, N.W. by the District of Columbia.

Date

Concentration 3 of Ozone

Mean Maximum

12/6/82 10 18

12/7/82 10 21

12/8/82 3 11

12/9/82 6 16

12/10/82 4 11

12/15/82 3 5

12/16/82 5 12

12/17/82 8 15

12/28/82 3 10

12/29/82 5 20

12/30/82 2 8

1/3/83 5 12

1/4/83 5 11

1/5/83 1 1 1/6/83 2 8

1/7/83 4 11

1/12/83 10 17

1/13/83 8 14

1/14/83 5 13

1/15/83 9 14

cl — 9 Concentrations in parts per billion by mole (1/10~ ).

14

Table 9. Summary of Temperature and Relative Humidity Measurements.

Location

Temperature

Average Range

Relative

Average

Humidi ty

Range

3E3 21.1 20.5-21.4 57 55-58

1 E2A • 22.0 21.5-22.3 54 49-56

9E1 22.6 21.4-23.5 36 54-57

7E4 21.3 20.4-22.6 48 48-48

10E2 22.7 22.1-22.5 49 45-53

9W4 22.7 20.7-23.5 55 50-60

9W3 22.0 21.2-23.2 52 48-57

9W2 21.3 21.0-22.0 43 36-47

19W2 24.1 22.4-25.2 41 39-42

17W1A 22.2 21 .6-22.8 50 49-52

3W2B 22.9 22.4-23.7 35 31-42

Madison Building 21.4 20.8-23.0 55 51-58

East Wing 21.8 21.3-22.2 54 52-56

Figures 1 - 5

A plot of the concentration of oxides of nitrogen measured at the indicated

location compared to a plot of the data of the District of Columbia measurements

made at 24th and L Streets, N.W., Washington, D.C.

15

OXIDES

OF

NITROGENPPM

OXIDES

OF

NITROGEN

-

PPM

TIME IN HOURS

16

TIME IN HOURS

17

Attachment Report of the 1977 study at the National Archives building

FORM NBS-348

(12-«5)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20234

REPORT OF ANALYSIS

of

The Atmosphere at Several Locations

in the National Archives

Requested by General Services Administration

Act No. 10477380, Document No. B0000051

Project No. 3100645

Introduction

Air from the ventilating system was analyzed for ozone,

oxides of nitrogen, and sulfur dioxide. The analyses were

performed separately and at different times for each of the

substances. Samples were obtained both in the stack areas

and at the receiving room loading platform. The stacks are

supplied with air from the ventilating system, while the

receiving room loading platform receives air from both the

interior of the building and directly from the outside.

Ozone was measured with a Dasibi Model 1003 AH ultraviolet

adsorption instrument. Oxides of nitrogen were measured

with a Monitor Labs Model 8440 Nitrogen Oxide analyzer.

Sulfur dioxide was measured with a Monitor Labs Model 8450

Sulfur Monitor.

Ozone

Ozone was measured in the location identified as 18-E-3,

5-E-3, and 7-W-2, and at the receiving room loading platform

on September 1, 1977.

The air in the room and

register of the ventilat

stack areas. The ozone

essentially the same as

ventilating system. In

tion in the room air was

but in area 18-E-3 the o was somewhat higher than

air. No explanation for

the air coming directly out of a ing system were sampled in the thre

concentration in all three areas wa

the air delivered to the area by th

area 5-E-3 and 7-W-2, the concentra

the same as in the incoming air

? zone concentration in the room air

the ozone content of the incoming

this anomaly has been found.

e

se

18

The concentration of ozone at the loading platform was con- siderably higher than that found in any of the stack area

inlet air ducts. The high concentration probably reflects

the mixing of a large amount of outside air with some inside

air. The value of the concentration of ozone at this point

is similar to the ozone concentration measured by the District

of Columbia Air Monitoring Station at 427 New Jersey Avenue.

The results of the ozone measurements are summarized below:

Concentration Range in

Area Source Parts per Million by Volume

5-E-3 Incoming Air 0.005 - 0.012

5-E-3 Room Air 0.009 - 0.013

7-W-2 Incoming Air 0.000 - 0.006

7-W-2 Room Air 0.000 - 0.004

18-E-3 Incoming Air 0.009 - 0.020

18-E-3 Room Air 0.031 - 0.042

Rec Rm. Loading Platform 0.070 - 0.110

Outside Air 0 . 097*

*Value obtained from D.C. Government for period corresponding to sampling at Rec. Rm. Loading Platform.

Oxides of Nitrogen

Oxides of nitrogen were measured in area 5-E-3 and at the

loading platform of the receiving room on September 14 and

15, 1977. The value measured in the duct of 5-E-3 remained

at a concentration between 0.020 and .030 ppm between 3:00

p.m. on September 14, and 7:00 a.m. on September 15. The

concentration in the outside air measured by the D.C. Government ranged between 0.016 and 0.070 ppm during this period.

The average value was 0.041 ppm. The values measured in

area 5-E-3 did not reflect changes in the concentration of

the oxide of nitrogen in the outside air. At 7:00 a.m. on

September 14, the value of the concentration in area 5-E-3

began to rise, and reached a maximum of 0.060 ppm at 9:30

a.m. This rise was matched by a similar rise in the concentration in the outside air which began at 4:00 a.m. and

which reached a value of 0.080 ppm at 8:30. The measurements

by the D.C. Government were interrupted at this time, but

the trend in the concentration at the time was definitely

rising.

19

The values of the oxides of nitrogen measured in the receiving room loading dock area ranged from a low of 0.055 ppm

to a high of 0.13 ppm during a one-hour sampling period

starting at 11:30 a.m. on September 14. The average value

for the same period measured by the D.C. Government was

about 0.06 ppm. The reason for the higher values inside the

building is no doubt due to auto exhaust gases generated by

vehicles moving in and out of the receiving room area.

Sulfur Dioxide

Sulfur dioxide was measured in area 5-E-3 and in the loading

dock area of the receiving room on November 29 and 30, 1977.

The concentration in the air entering the 5-E-3 area through

the ventilating system and the room air itself never exceeded

a concentration of 0.003 ppm sulfur dioxide.

Measurements made in the receiving room loading dock area

varied from a low value of 0.009 ppm to a high of 0.044 ppm.

The concentration measured in the area appeared to follow

the concentration of sulfur dioxide in the outside air as

measured by the D.C. Government. The concentration in the

outside air during the period of time when measurements were

being made in area 5-E-3 were between 0.032 and 0.040 parts

per million.

Conclusion

The maximum concentration of sulfur dioxide in the stack

areas does not exceed 0.003 ppm, although the outside air

contains more than ten times this concentration. The ozone

concentration in the stack area does no£ exceed 0.042 ppm

when the outside air contains as much as 0.097 ppm. It

appears, therefore, that substantial amounts of sulfur

dioxide and ozone are removed by passage of outside air

through the ventilating system.

Nitrogen dioxide concentration in the building appears to

respond to changes in the concentration of nitrogen dioxide

in the outside air and are probably not removed in substantial quantities by passage through the ventilating system.

Ernest E. Hughes, Res. Chemist

John K. Taylor, Chief

Air and Water Pollution Analysis Section

Robert W. Burke

Service Analysis Coordinator

Analytical Chemistry Division

January 30, 1978

20

MBS-114A (REV- 2-« c) . U.S. DEPT. OF COMM.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA

SHEET (See in structions)

1. PUBLICATION OR 2. Performing Organ. Report NoJ REPORT NO.

NBSIR 83-2767

3. Publication Date

October 1983

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE

Measurement of the Concentration of Sulfur Dioxide, Nitrogen Oxides, and Ozone

in the National Archives Building.

5. AUTHOR(S)

E. E. Hughes and R. Myers

6. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION (If joint or other than NBS, see instructions)

national bureau of standards

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20234

7. Contract/Grant No.

8

.

Type of Report & Period Covered

Final

9.

SPONSORING ORGANIZATION NAME AND COMPLETE ADDRESS (Street, City, State, ZIP)

General Services Administration/Public Building Service

National Capital Region

7th & D St. SW

Washington, DC 20407

10.

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

|

I Document describes a computer program; SF-185, FIPS Software Summary, is attached.

11.

ABSTRACT (A 200-word or less factual summary of most significant information. If document includes a significant

bibliography or literature survey, mention it here) . , Continuous measurements of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and ozone were made consecutively at locations in the stack areas of the National Archives building in Washington,

DC. Similar measurements were made at single locations in the Madison Building of the

Library of Congress and the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art. The results i n d i

cate that the ventilating system of the National Archives has no effect on the concentration of nitrogen oxides or sulfur dioxide drawn into the building. The results for

ozone were inconclusive. The newer ventilating systems of the Madison Building and the

East Wing are effective in removing sulfur dioxide but not the oxides of nitrogen.

12.

KEY WORDS (Six to twelve entries; alphabetical order; capitalize only proper names; and separate key words by semicolons)

air pollution; air pollution removal; archival storage; nitrogen oxides; sulfur

dioxide

13.

AVAILABILITY

fin Unl imi ted

I

I For Official Distribution. Do Not Release to NTIS

I i Order From SuDerintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.

20402.

[X] Order From National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Springfield, VA. 22161

14. NO. OF

PRINTED PAGES

23

15. Price

$7.00

ViMM'OC 6043-P80


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