Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Skip to content
This is a Non-Federal dataset covered by different Terms of Use than Data.gov.

NARSTO SHEMP Particulate Matter Composition Data, Canada, 2000-2002

Metadata Updated: February 23, 2025

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.

Access & Use Information

Public: This dataset is intended for public access and use. Non-Federal: This dataset is covered by different Terms of Use than Data.gov. License: No license information was provided.

Downloads & Resources

Dates

Metadata Created Date February 23, 2025
Metadata Updated Date February 23, 2025

Metadata Source

Harvested from nasa test json

Additional Metadata

Resource Type Dataset
Metadata Created Date February 23, 2025
Metadata Updated Date February 23, 2025
Publisher NASA/LARC/SD/ASDC
Maintainer
Identifier C2350113375-LARC_ASDC
Data First Published 2006-09-19
Language en-US
Data Last Modified 2025-02-18
Category NARSTO, geospatial
Public Access Level public
Bureau Code 026:00
Metadata Context https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.jsonld
Schema Version https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema
Catalog Describedby https://project-open-data.cio.gov/v1.1/schema/catalog.json
Harvest Object Id a91a6e23-2722-4d01-a726-660e26f8d7c1
Harvest Source Id a73e0c30-4684-40ef-908e-d22e9e9e5f86
Harvest Source Title nasa test json
Homepage URL https://doi.org/10.5067/ASDCDAAC/NARSTO/0008
Metadata Type geospatial
Old Spatial <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><gml:Polygon xmlns:gml="http://www.opengis.net/gml/3.2" srsName="EPSG:4326"><gml:outerBoundaryIs><gml:LinearRing><gml:posList>43.66 -121.98 43.66 -79.4 49.22 -79.4 49.22 -121.98 43.66 -121.98</gml:posList></gml:LinearRing></gml:outerBoundaryIs><gml:innerBoundaryIs></gml:innerBoundaryIs></gml:Polygon>
Program Code 026:001
Source Datajson Identifier True
Source Hash 339bfff6676385f2ec4f73cf6750cdbc85374fce8849de12570a4e6270a32606
Source Schema Version 1.1
Spatial
Temporal 2000-02-14T00:00:00Z/2002-08-01T23:59:59.999Z

Didn't find what you're looking for? Suggest a dataset here.