The objective of the present study was to characterize the performance of a federal reference method (FRM) PM 10 sizeselective inlet using analysis methods designed to minimize uncertainty in measured sampling efficiencies for large particles such as those most often emitted from agricultural operations. The performance of an FRM PM 10 inlet was characterized in a wind tunnel at a wind speed of 8 km/h. Data were also collected for 20 and 25 mm particles at wind speeds of 2 and 24 km/h. Results of the present sampler evaluation compared well with those of previous studies for a similar inlet near the cutpoint, and the sampler passed the criteria required for certification as a FRM sampler when tested at 8 km/h. Sampling effectiveness values for particles with nominal diameters of 20 and 25 mm exceeded 3% for 8 and 24 km/h wind speeds in the present study and were statistically higher than both the "ideal" PM 10 sampler (as defined in 40 CFR 53) and the ISO (1995) standard definition of thoracic particles (p < 0.05) for 25 mm particles leading to the potential for significant sampling bias relative to the "ideal" PM 10 sampler when measuring large aerosols. INTRODUCTIONExposure to high concentrations of thoracic aerosols has been linked to significant, negative health effects, including increased incidence of asthma, cardiovascular disease, mortality, and morbidity. The National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) were established to protect public health and welfare by limiting the concentrations of ambient pollutants to which the public is exposed. The NAAQS for PM 10 is intended to protect the public against high concentrations of thoracic particles. Compliance with the NAAQS is demonstrated through use of ambient particulate matter (PM) monitors that measure 24-h integrated concentrations of pollutants. Specialuse monitors may also be placed at or near the property lines of some sources to ensure that emissions from that source do not lead to public exposure to concentrations exceeding the NAAQS.When monitoring PM 10 concentrations for regulatory purposes, it is important that measured concentrations of PM 10 are representative of concentrations of particles that have the potential to cause adverse health effects. PM 10 samplers are designed to allow those particles expected to penetrate past the larynx of the human respiratory system to penetrate the sampler precollector and deposit on a filter. The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) has defined the "thoracic fraction" of particles, and that definition has been adopted as a standard by International Standards Organization (Figure 1; ISO 1995).In the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has defined the performance of an "ideal" PM 10 sampler (Figure 1; 40 CFR 53.43) that "approximates the penetration of particles into the human respiratory tract" (40 CFR 53.40(d)). The fractional penetration, or sampling efficiency, of the "ideal" PM 10 sampler closely matches that of the ACGIH/IS...

The continuing growth of poultry production, along with the increasing urbanization of rural areas, is leading to more odor-related complaints from neighboring communities and more scrutiny from policy makers. It is, therefore, in the best interest of poultry producers to look at control methods for abating odors. Previous studies have shown that substantial amounts of volatile and odorous compounds are adsorbed and transported by dust particles. Thus, by reducing the amount of dust emitted from poultry facilities such as broiler houses, odor may be reduced as well. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of two commercially available control technologies (BioCurtain™ and electrostatic particle ionization (EPI) system) in reducing the total suspended particulate matter (TSP), particulate matter <10 µm in diameter (PM 10), ammonia (NH 3), and hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) emitted from a broiler facility in Texas. The study was conducted at a broiler production facility in two identically designed, ventilated, and managed broiler houses where one served as the treatment house and the other, the control. Measurements were done on two consecutive days each in September and December 2010. BioCurtain™ was tested independently on the first day and in combination with and the EPI on the second day. Reductions in the NH 3 and H 2 S emission rates by as much as 8% (1040 vs. 943 g/h for NH 3 and 9.2 vs. 8.4 g/h for H 2 S) and by as much as 43% (396 vs. 227 g/h) for the TSP emission rates were achieved with the BioCur-tain™. The EPI system reduced the NH 3 , H 2 S, and TSP emission rates by as much as 17%, 34% and 39%, respectively. Economic analysis showed that operating the automated EPI and BioCurtain™ system for one 14 m wide and 152 m long broiler building housing an average of 23,