Standards and Methods for Environmental Monitoring in the UK- Selection of Standards for Emission Monitoring
The Source Testing Association (STA) was established in 1995 and has a corporate membership of over 200 companies from process operators, regulators, equipment suppliers and test laboratories. The STA is a non-profit making organisation.
The STA is committed to the advancement of the science and practice of emission monitoring and to develop and maintain a high quality of service to customers and has been involved with the standards development process since its inception.
STA officers sit on all the UK, European and International working groups responsible for stationary source sampling and with the increasing requirement for the installation of continuous emission monitoring systems (CEMS) it is important that capital investment is protected and that instrumentation gives reliable, meaningful and repeatable data. Fitting MCERTS-approved equipment is one element but it is extremely important that the system is verified. The verification process requires the use of standard reference methods to underpin the data.
Standard reference methods are essential for the effective measurement and control of air pollution. Such standards are developed at National, European and world-wide level. The robustness and fitness for purpose of these standards is a function of the accumulated expertise and experience of the people who work together in committee to produce them. Where internationally-derived standards are binding on the UK, as European (CEN) standards are, it is particularly important that they should recognise UK interests and sensitivities. BSI manages the UK input to new standards via its technical committees and the UK experts that they nominate to CEN and ISO working groups.
ISO standards are accepted on a case by case principle, it is not mandatory for a member country to adopt a standard.
CEN standards are mandatory and must be adopted by member states of the European Union. If a conflicting standard is in existence then this must be withdrawn.
BSI technical committee EH/2 is responsible for air quality issues. The sub group EH/2/1 is specifically charged with stationary source emission measurement standardisation. BSI EH2/1 nominates experts to the technical committees of CEN/TC 264 (Air Quality) and ISO TC 146 (Air Quality). BSI EH2/1 also oversees a portfolio of existing BSI, CEN and ISO standards to ensure that they are regularly reviewed for technical relevance and continued suitability for purpose. In order that existing and developing standards reflect the full range of UK interests, it is imperative that BSI EH2/1, like other BSI committees, reflects the widest possible range of users.
Standards developed and published by CEN are generally accepted as being the most robust. However, other standards are still important, as there are substances that are not, as yet, covered by CEN Standards. The choice of the method is often dictated by the requirements of a relevant EU Directive, where, for example, the use of CEN standards is mandatory. If the standard is not dictated by mandatory requirements then monitoring standards should be used in the following order of priority as given in the European IPPC Bureau’s Reference Document on the General Principles of Monitoring:
•Comité European de Normalisation (CEN) • International Standardisation Organisation (ISO)
If the substance cannot be monitored using standards covered by the above then a method can be selected from any one of the following:
• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) • Association Francaise de Normalisation (AFNOR) • British Standards Institution (BSI) • Deutsches Institute fur Normung (DIN) • United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) • Verein Deustcher Ingenieure (VDI)
If the substance cannot be monitored using standards covered by the above then the following occupational methods may be developed, following the requirements of ISO 17025, for stack emission monitoring:
• Method for the Determination of Hazardous Substances (MDHS) series published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
• National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
The intended application of the standard method must always be taken into account; for example, a CEN method may be less suitable than another less-rigorously validated standard method if the application is not one for which the CEN method was developed. The Environment Agency produces, wherever required, Method Implementation Documents (MIDs) which detail the applicability of methods. The methods detailed in Environment Agency Technical Guidance Note (Monitoring) M2 ‘Monitoring of Stack Emissions to Air’ should be used unless it can be demonstrated that they are not fit for purpose for a particular application.
Further guidance and advice.
The Source Testing Association provides guidance to its membership and their clients. This includes methodology advice, guidance on equipment selection and training. Visit the STA web site for details
www.s-t-a.org or for any technical question contact
airanswers@s-t-a.org or telephone +44(0) 1462 457535.
Annual Buyers Guide 2009
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