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Monitoring Particulate Matter Concentrations with Passive Samplers: Application to the Greater Thessaloniki Area

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Abstract

Modern European cities are characterized by high particulate matter (PM) concentrations. Unfortunately, the number of stations monitoring air pollution, especially PM, is never sufficient for the overall representation of the problem. In the present work, an inexpensive outdoor passive sampler (based on an indoor passive sampler) was developed and assembled in an effort to provide the means to extend current PM monitoring networks. The uncertainty of the sampler was tested in vitro and in vivo. Twenty such outdoor passive samplers were assembled and installed at specific locations in the Greater Thessaloniki Area and measurements of PM were carried out. The results were in good agreement with the official monitoring stations. In addition, they revealed the aggravated air quality in the center of the city and in the west suburbs.

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Acknowledgements

Part of present work was funded (contract A11B/S2/09) by the Technical Chamber of Greece, Department of Central Macedonia. The work was carried out under the auspices of the Committee for the Environment of the Technical Chamber of Greece, and we are indebted to Dr. P. Samaras and Dr. S. Famelos for their valuable discussions and constant support, and the Work Group members, Dr. K. Karatzas and Dr. Ch. Achilias. In this work, ten municipalities participated. We would like thus to extend our thanks to these municipalities (Municipalities of Thessaloniki, Efkarpia, Stavroupoli, Evosmos, Eleftherio-Kordelio, Menemeni, Neapoli, Ehedoros, Thermi, and Kalamaria) for their help and the permission to install and operate the outdoor passive samplers.

We would like to extend our thanks to Mr. A. Vavatzanidis of the Prefecture of Central Macedonia for providing the necessary data (Ministry for the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works) and his valuable assistance. We would like also to thank Mr. A. Kelesis from the Municipality of Thessaloniki for giving us access to the limited but important part of their data.

Finally, we would like to express our deep appreciation to all those that worked in this project, Mr. V. Goutsios, Mr. V. Petousis, Mr. P. Tsirogiannis, and Mr. G. Chatzifotis.

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Correspondence to Konstantinos E. Kakosimos.

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Assael, M.J., Melas, D. & Kakosimos, K.E. Monitoring Particulate Matter Concentrations with Passive Samplers: Application to the Greater Thessaloniki Area. Water Air Soil Pollut 211, 395–408 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-009-0308-1

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