Air / water / soil quality

News and Updates

Shrinking (Ultra)Violet

July 21, 2020

While awaiting full access to their labs due to COVID-19 restrictions, scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have taken this

Woman uses gas analysis mass spectrometer at NBS for chemical analysis of gas or vapor mixtures

NIST Adds New 'Fingerprints' to Chemical Identification Database

June 17, 2020

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has updated its database of chemical fingerprints, called mass spectra, that are used to identify

A view through a door window of N95 masks being decontaminated.

NIST Tool Could Help Hospitals Repurpose Rooms for Disinfecting N95 Masks

April 16, 2020

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals across the United States are disinfecting N95 masks by placing them in repurposed rooms or shipping containers

Two hands in purple gloves hold onto butane lighters, which are being used to light up two cigarettes poised in a metal device.

Butt Emissions: Study Finds Even Extinguished Cigarettes Give Off Toxins

January 29, 2020

Cigarette butts pile up in parks, beaches, streets and bus stops, places where all types of littering are frowned upon. An estimated more than five trillion

Projects and Programs

Certification of Three Soil SRMs for Inorganic Environmental Measurements

Analysis of soils for metals and other elements is essential in assessing environmental compliance and the impacts of potentially toxic elements on human

Activated Carbon and FGD Gypsum Standard Reference Materials

New Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) consisting of activated carbon sorbent materials and flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum are being developed to

Assessing the Internal Structure and Composition of Climatically-Relevant Atmospheric Particles

Atmospheric particles with long atmospheric lifetimes affect Earth's radiative balance. These particles typically consist of multiple chemical species. The

Standards for Assessing the Safety of Recreational Waters from Fecal Contamination

Contamination of waterways with fecal material leads to the dissemination of pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can have serious impacts on human

Publications

Building Industry Reporting and Design for Sustainability (BIRDS) Low-Energy Residential Incremental Energy Efficiency Improvements Database Technical Manual: Update

September 22, 2020

Author(s)

Joshua D. Kneifel, Eric G. O'Rear, Priya D. Lavappa, Anne L. Greig, Sangwon Suh

Purified meta-Cresol Purple dye perturbation: how it influences spectrophotometric pH measurements

September 10, 2020

Author(s)

Xinyu Li, Maribel Garc?a-Ib??ez, Brendan Carter, Baoshen Chen, Qian Li, Regina A. Easley, Wei-Jun Cai

Ocean acidification, a phenomenon of seawater pH decreasing due to increasing atmospheric CO2, has a global effect on seawater chemistry, marine biology, and

Evaluation of Thermal Optical Analysis (TOA) Using an Aqueous Binary Mixture

June 30, 2020

Author(s)

Courtney D. Grimes, Joseph M. Conny, Russell Dickerson

Thermal Optical Analysis (TOA), a commonly implemented technique used to measure the amount of particulate carbon in the atmosphere or deposited on a filter

Simultaneous Transmission and Absorption Photometry of particle-laden filters from Wildland Fires during the Biomass Burning Observation Project (BBOP) field campaign

June 20, 2020

Author(s)

Cary Presser, Ashot Nazarian, Duli Chand, Arthur Sedlacek, John Hubbe

Transmissivity and absorptivity measurements were carried out simultaneously in the visible (wavelength of 532 nm) at laboratory conditions using particle-laden

Tools and Instruments

Ozone Standard Reference Photometer

DESCRIPTIONThe Standard Reference Photometer (SRP) Program began in the early 1980s as collaboration between NIST and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Awards

Lisa Ng Receives IBPSA-USA Emerging Contributor Award

This award recognizes an individual at the beginning of their career who has demonstrated potential for significant contributions to the...