NARSTO_SHEMP_CANADA_PM_COMPOSTION_DATA was obtained between February 14, 2000 and August 1, 2002 during the Study of the Health Effects of the Mix of Urban Air Pollutants (SHEMP). SHEMP was a three-year Toxic Substances Research Initiative study undertaken to advance Canadian knowledge on the possible relationship between PM 2.5 composition and co-pollutants (e.g., NO2, O3) and health effects and on the behavior of PM 2.5 in Canadian cities. The main objectives of this study were to obtain new information on the sources, formation and chemical make-up of PM 2.5 and the critical components of the air pollution mix responsible for health effects.
Field measurement studies in Toronto and Vancouver were designed to meet these objectives and to provide the data to test the hypothesis that the organic fraction of PM 2.5 was a critical component with respect to cardio-respiratory disease. In this study, the sources, formation and chemical content of breathable particles in air and the co-occurrence of other air pollutants were investigated. Air samples were collected daily from sites in Toronto and Vancouver over 2-3 years. Chemical content and particle size were determined. Data were also collected on the presence of other air pollutants present in the form of gases (co-pollutants). A small number of samples were analyzed to determine whether the content of specific indicator chemicals in air particles could help find their pollution source (vehicle exhaust, cooking, wood burning etc.).
Specific chemicals of breathable particles produced by different types of sources were identified. Similarly, a small number of samples were collected to assess if semi-volatile organic compounds (i.e., chemicals that may evaporate from the particle and are thus often not measured properly) were an important contributor to the mass of breathable particles. The SHEMP study was led by the Air Quality Research Branch of the Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC). The main collaborators were the Environmental Technology Centre of the Environmental Protection Service and the Chemistry Department of the University of Toronto. The breadth of the study also necessitated that many other organizations provide support, such as the Greater Vancouver Regional District, the Pacific Environmental Science Centre and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment. North American Research Strategy for Tropospheric Ozone (NARSTO), which has since disbanded, was a public/private partnership, whose membership spanned across government, utilities, industry, and academe throughout Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The primary mission was to coordinate and enhance policy-relevant scientific research and assessment of tropospheric pollution behavior; activities provide input for science-based decision-making and determination of workable, efficient, and effective strategies for local and regional air-pollution management. Data products from local, regional, and international monitoring and research programs are still available.