6 - Protocol for SI-traceable measurement results of elemental mercury concentrations in air

"Traceable measurement results of mercury concentrations are essential to underpin global efforts to control and reduce the concentration of mercury in the environment, comply with legislation and protect human health. As such, mercury emissions are regulated by the Industrial Emissions Directive 2010/75/EU, the Air Quality Directive 2004/107/EC, the Waste Incineration Directive 2000/76/EC and the Minamata Convention.

Notwithstanding the efforts in developing primary mercury gas standards and SI-traceable calibration methods for elemental mercury, there are no standardised procedures that ensure the dissemination of the metrological traceability from primary to working standards among calibration and testing laboratories and in the field. Scientifically sound certification protocols, to assess the performance of elemental mercury gas generators in the form of formally accepted documentary standards, are of fundamental importance to guarantee the accuracy and comparability of the mercury measurement results in gas emission sources and in the atmosphere in Europe and globally.

Within the EMPIR (European Metrology Programme for Innovation and Research) SI-Hg project (Metrology for traceable protocols for elemental and oxidised mercury concentrations - 19NRM03) such a metrological certification protocol is developed and validated. The certification protocol contributes to establishing a traceability chain from a primary mercury gas standard to measurement data obtained in gas emission sources and in the atmosphere. The protocol replaces thereby other references currently used in mercury concentration measurement. The validation data contributes to the incorporation of the certification protocol into new and existing documentary standards. A first presentation of the certification protocol and preliminary validation results is given."

Authors: Iris de Krom