Operation, Sample Processing and Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) of the Air Monitoring Program for Organic Pollutants in the Arctic

Operation, Sample Processing and Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) of the Air Monitoring Program for Organic Pollutants in the Arctic

Introduction

The Air Quality Processes Research Section (ARQP) of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has undertaken the air monitoring of organic pollutants in air at the Canadian High Arctic Station of Alert, Nunavut, under the Northern Contaminants Program (NCP) (Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada) and ECCC’s Chemicals Management Plan (CMP). This project supports the Arctic Council’s Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution POPs Protocol. The objective of this contract is to assist ARQP in the continued operation of the Alert station for northern contaminants (including persistent organochlorines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, new and emerging chemicals of concern) in accordance with the Statement of Work detailed herein.

Background

The Air Quality Processes Research Section (ARQP) of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has undertaken the air monitoring of organic pollutants in air at the Canadian High Arctic Station of Alert, Nunavut, under the Northern Contaminants Program (NCP) (Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada) and ECCC’s Chemicals Management Plan (CMP).

This project has been operating at Alert since 1992. Experience at this site is required to assemble the sampling system suitable for the High Arctic, to prepare and extract sample media and to oversee data QA/QC as applied to the NCP’s set protocol. The supplier must also ensure consistency in the operation and the resulting dataset since 1992 to maintain the long-term time trends of target contaminants at this site.

Objectives

(i) To track and document all samples delivered to and received from Alert collected using a custom-made super high volume air sampler (superhivol);

(ii) To track and document all samples delivered to and received from Alert collected with a separate high volume air sampler (PS-1 hivol) for the measurement of new and emerging chemicals of concern;

(iii) To preclean and extract one-year supply of polyurethane foam plugs (PUFs) and glass fiber filters (GFFs) to maintain routine sampling at Alert using the superhivol;

(iv) To preclean and extract one-year supply of PUF-XAD sandwich and GFFs to maintain routine sampling using the PS-1 highvol at Alert for new and emerging chemical sampling;

(v) To archive half of each extract from samples collected using the superhivol and document any sub-sampling from these archived extracts for future explorative analysis;

(vi) To prepare sample transport cases and jars for annual sealift to Alert and package samples as required for shipment;

(v) To oversee QA/QC of sample preparation and extraction processes, as well as QA/QC of data analysis according to the NCP set protocols; and

(vi) To conduct independent field audit and site maintenance once every 3 years.