| Operation of an air quality monitoring network based on automatic monitors will require the establishment of a National Reference Laboratory (NRL), which can take care of Auditing, measurement standard methods, reference standards (gases and traceable standards) and international comparison studies.
The objectives of the Reference Laboratory are to contribute to the assurance of quality of the specified analyses, tests and measurements, by assisting the monitoring institutions in matters concerning quality assurance and quality of measurements, including the provision of external quality control services. The Reference Laboratory shall advise the Authorities by assuring the quality of measurements provided by the monitoring institutions and conducting audits of the activities of the monitoring institutions.
The Reference Laboratory should be established in an early phase of the development of air quality monitoring systems. The Reference Laboratory will have to be equipped with a complete set of monitors. The first monitors should actually be installed and trained at the selected Reference Laboratory, prior to installing monitors in field. Expert personnel have to be trained to operate the monitors for calibration reasons. Personnel have to be prepared and trained to carry out systematic audits of the monitoring programmes.
Certified reference material has to be made available and all procedures have to be traceable. Primary and secondary standards as well as all reference gases have to be supplied to the different monitoring systems in the system.
The NRL will have to participate in international proficiency tests, calibrate the reference standards at internationally recognised laboratories as well as conduct national proficiency tests.
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Quality Assurance and Quality Controls (QA/QC) |
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One of the main objectives of the Reference Laboratory is to assure quality in all parts of the monitoring programme. It is important for the operations of a monitoring network to include a comprehensive QA/QC programme to assure that the monitors are actually providing concentrations within the required level of uncertainty, and that malfunctions and errors are detected and corrected.
It will be necessary to develop and implement a complete QA/QC system for the operational level of the air quality monitoring programme. Complete documentation will have to be established, which explains in detail how to perform and record all operations necessary to run, maintain and calibrate the instrumentation both in the laboratory and in the field. The procedures are supposed to be used by the operators in their daily work.
Adequate training of experts to undertake future air quality monitoring, data presentations and reporting is an important part of the establishment of such programmes. For reporting to the EU it will also be necessary to add capacity for air quality modelling and forecasts.
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