An official website of the United States government.

This is not the current EPA website. To navigate to the current EPA website, please go to www.epa.gov. This website is historical material reflecting the EPA website as it existed on January 19, 2021. This website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work. More information »

AQS Memos - AQS Technical Note - NAAQS Reporting Issues for NO2 and SO2 NCore Reporting Issues for NOy and Trace-Level Gases

November 3, 2010

Background: Over the past year, EPA has finalized changes to the NAAQS for NO2 (75 FR 6474, February 9, 2010) and SO2 (75 FR 35520, June 22, 2010). Revisions have also been made to the associated ambient monitoring and data reporting requirements. This Technical Note provides additional details concerning the impact of these changes on AQS reporting procedures. Although many monitoring agencies have already successfully instituted these changes into reporting procedures, this note is being distributed to provide a more concise reference for certain questions that OAQPS continues to receive about these issues.

Additionally, EPA is working with agencies to implement the NCore multi-pollutant network by January 1, 2011. In this note, we are clarifying the reporting of parameters arising from the required NOy instrument. We are also reaffirming the importance of reporting required trace-level gas measurements utilizing the appropriate AQS method codes.

NO2 Reporting Changes (Appendix S to Part 50 – Interpretation of the Primary NAAQS for Oxides of Nitrogen

Standard units of measurement have changed from parts per million to parts per billion. Note the language: Hourly NO2 measurements are to be reported to AQS in units of parts per billion (ppb), to at most one place after the decimal, with additional digits to the right being truncated with no further rounding. We also reiterate that current reporting requirements in 40 CFR 58.16 require the reporting of NO, NO2, and NOx channels from NO2 instruments.

SO2 Reporting Changes (Appendix T to Part 50 – Interpretation of the Primary NAAQS for Oxides of Sulfur

Standard units of measurement have changed from parts per million to parts per billion. Note the language: Hourly SO2 measurements are to be reported to AQS in units of parts per billion (ppb), to at most one place after the decimal, with additional digits to the right being truncated with no further rounding.

We also note the new reporting requirement in 40 CFR 58.16 to report the maximum 5-minute SO2 block average of the twelve 5-minute averages in each hour, in addition to the hourly SO2 average. Summarized below are some frequently asked questions about the 5-minute reporting requirement.

When does the SO2 5-minute reporting requirement become effective?

This reporting requirement became effective when the revised SO2 NAAQS became effective, 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. This date was August 23, 2010.

What is the AQS reporting deadline for SO2 5-minute average data?

Data must be reported to AQS by the deadline noted in 40 CFR 58.16(b). For example, for the data collected during the initial quarterly reporting period of August 23 – September 30, 2010, 5minute concentrations must be reported to AQS no later than 90 days after the end of that quarterly reporting period.

What procedure should be used to report the maximum 5-minute average from each hour? The AQS parameter code 42406 with a duration code of “1” should be used to report the maximum 5-minute average from each hour. States have the option of reporting all of the twelve 5-minute averages from each hour using AQS parameter code 42401 with a duration code of “H”. In this case, the maximum 5-minute average for each hour does not have to be identified and separately reported.

NCore Reporting Requirements for NOy measurements

NCore sites must measure NOy (and report both NOy and NO concentrations) as part of the required suite of measurements listed in section 3 of Appendix D to Part 58.NO measurements are reported using AQS parameter code 42601 and NOy measurements are reported using AQS parameter code 42600. Although NOy instruments may provide for the reporting of a difference channel (i.e., NOy minus NO [NOy-NO]), such a difference measurement is not considered to be an appropriate indicator of NO2 and should not be reported using the NO2 parameter code. OAQPS has worked with the AQS team to create a new parameter code, 42612, that is specific to the difference channel output from NOy instruments. States that optionally wish to report this difference measurement should use the new parameter code. Previous NOy – NO measurements that were erroneously reported as NO2 (42602) should be moved to the appropriate parameter code to prevent confusion among data users. Note that standard units for NO (42601) and NOy (42600) parameter codes will be changed to ppb by the end of 2010.

NCore Reporting Requirements for trace-level gas measurements

The use of trace-level precursor gas measurements for CO, NO/NOy, and SO2 is an essential part of the NCore monitoring framework. Trace-level instruments provide an improved sensitivity together with other performance advantages compared with “legacy” instruments that have been employed since the 1980’s. Due to these performance advantages and the desire among data users to segregate the resulting ambient and quality assurance data from legacy instruments, a distinct set of trace-level method codes has been made available for use in reporting these data. These method codes are summarized in the table at the end of this document.

For additional information about this Technical Note, please contact Nealson Watkins at 919-5415522 or watkins.nealson@epa.gov.

AQS Method Codes for Trace Level Gas Measurements

Parm Code

Parameter Desc

Meth Code

Std. Unit

Standard Unit

Desc

Sample Analysis Desc

Fed MDL

Equivalent Method Desc

Reference Method Id

42101

Carbon Monoxide

055

007

Parts per million

Gas Filter Correlation Thermo Electron 48C-TL

0.02

42101

Carbon Monoxide

554

007

Parts per million

Gas Filter Correlation

Thermo Electron 48i-TLE

0.02

Thermo 48i TLE

RFCA-0981-054

42101

Carbon Monoxide

588

007

Parts per million

Gas Filter Correlation

Ecotech EC9830T

0.02

Ecotech EC9830T

RFCA-0992-088

42101

Carbon Monoxide

593

007

Parts per million

Gas Filter Correlation Teledyne API 300 EU

0.02

API Model 300 EU

RFCA-1093-093

42401

Sulfur Dioxide

560

008

Parts per billion

Pulsed Fluorescent 43CTLE/43i-TLE

0.2

Thermo Electron 43cTLE/43i-TLE

EQSA-0486-060

42401

Sulfur Dioxide

592

008

Parts per billion

Ultraviolet Fluorescence

EC9850T

0.2

Ecotech EC9850T

EQSA-0193-092

42401

Sulfur Dioxide

600

008

Parts per billion

Ultraviolet Fluorescence API 100 EU

0.2

Teledyne API 100 EU

EQSA-0495-100

42600

Reactive Oxides Of Nitrogen

574

007

Parts per million

Chemiluminescence Thermo Electron 42C-Y

0.00005

42600

Reactive Oxides Of Nitrogen

590

007

Parts per million

Chemiluminescence Ecotech EC9841T

0.00005

42600

Reactive Oxides Of Nitrogen

591

007

Parts per million

Chemiluminescence Ecotech EC9843

0.00005

42600

Reactive Oxides Of Nitrogen

599

007

Parts per million

Chemiluminescence

Teledyne API 200 EU/501

0.00005

42601

Nitric Oxide

574

007

Parts per million

Chemiluminescence Thermo Electron 42C-Y

0.00005

42601

Nitric Oxide

590

007

Parts per million

Chemiluminescence Ecotech EC9841T

0.00005

42601

Nitric Oxide

591

007

Parts per million

Chemiluminescence Ecotech EC9843

0.00005

42601

Nitric Oxide

599

007

Parts per million

Chemiluminescence

Teledyne API 200 EU/501

0.00005

42612

NOy-NO

574

008

Parts per billion

Chemiluminescence Thermo Electron 42C-Y

0.05

42612

NOy-NO

590

008

Parts per billion

Chemiluminescence Ecotech EC9841T

0.05

42612

NOy-NO

591

008

Parts per billion

Chemiluminescence Ecotech EC9843

0.05

42612

NOy-NO

599

008

Parts per billion

Chemiluminescence

Teledyne API 200 EU/501

0.05