MCERTS assures quality of monitoring data

Environmental monitoring is necessary to ensure that processes are operating within consent limits and to establish background levels so that the effects of pollution from sources can be measured.

Environmental monitoring is necessary in order to ensure that processes are operating within consent limits and to establish background levels so that the effects of pollution from point and diffuse sources can be measured.

Environmental regulations have imposed limits on industrial process emissions in terms of the volume and concentration of pollutants, and this has created a major need for monitoring data.

However, in order for air quality legislation to be effectively enforced, monitoring data must be accurate, reliable and representative.

In the early 1990s, following a period of consultation, an initiative was established to create a monitoring certification scheme, and this became known as MCERTS.

Air pollution has been a significant factor in London since the thirteenth century, resulting in no less than four commissions to investigate the phenomenon between 1285 and 1310.

In 1273 the use of coal in London was prohibited and described as 'prejudicial to health', but the popularity of coal was so great that its use continued unabated, literally! In 1952 the Great Smog of London caused nearly 2000 deaths above the norm for that period.

This resulted in the Clean Air Act of 1956, which marked the beginning of effective air quality legislation in Britain.

More recently, the Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales) Regulations 2000 (PPC) were introduced under the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999 and built on existing regulatory systems.

The PPC Regulations introduce three separate, but linked, systems of pollution control: Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC), which covers installations known as A(1) installations, which are regulated by the Environment Agency; Local authority Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (LA-IPPC) which covers installations known as A(2) installations, which are regulated by local authorities; and, Local authority Pollution Prevention and Control (LAPPC), which covers installations known as Part B installations, also regulated by local authorities.

There are some 17,000 Part B installations.

The quality of monitoring data is assured by the MCERTS scheme which provides for the product certification of instruments, the competency certification of personnel, and the accreditation of organisations based on international standards.

More information can be found on the Environment Agency website.

MCERTS promotes public confidence in monitoring data, and provides industry with a framework for choosing monitoring systems and services that meet the Agency's performance specifications.

The benefits of MCERTS are that it provides assurance to regulatory authorities that monitoring equipment and services approved to MCERTS standards are fit for purpose and capable of producing results of the required quality and reliability, gives users of the monitoring equipment or services confidence that they are robust and conform to the Agency's performance standards, supports the delivery of accurate and reliable data to the public.

The initial focus of MCERTS was on continuous emissions monitoring systems (CEMs) for chimney stacks, however, the scope was extended to cover continuous ambient air-quality monitoring systems (CAMs).

CAMs certified under MCERTS will meet the performance requirements of the Air Quality Directive and Daughter Directives and the forthcoming CEN standards for monitoring ambient air.

The Agency then launched MCERTS for manual stack emission monitoring, which is split into two components - the certification of personnel and the accreditation of organisations carrying out stack emission monitoring.

Other applications now include sampling equipment and instruments for water monitoring, chemical testing of soil, inspection of self-monitoring arrangements for effluent flow, portable instruments for stack-emissions monitoring.

In May 2003 DEFRA issued a consultation paper relating to the 17,000 Part B processes, with the following recommendations: that where new or replacement continuous emission monitors (CEMs) are installed in Part B processes/installations after 1 April 2004, these should be MCERTS certified; that all existing CEMs in Part B processes/installations should be replaced, where necessary, with MCERTS certified equipment by 1 April 2009; that all manual stack emissions monitoring undertaken on Part B processes/installations should be carried out by MCERTS-certified personnel from 1 April 2004.

As a result of this consultation, specific advice is available from DEFRA and the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) relating to the use of MCERTS in the regulation of Part B Processes.

This is available at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/airquality/lapc/aqnotes/aq12(04).htm In summary, this guidance states that MCERTS accreditation is not compulsory in the authorisation of Part B Processes either for the monitoring equipment or the monitoring staff.

However, there are a number of circumstances in which MCERTS accreditation may be necessary.

For example, the DEFRA guidance tells us "if the difference in cost between a 'fit for purpose' unaccredited CEM and an MCERTS-accredited instrument was negligible, it would generally be reasonable to expect the operator to opt for the latter when installing a new CEM or replacing an existing one" In addition, "if there are cases where the uncertainties of existing CEMs are not known or have not been quantified, local authorities should require such quantification to be undertaken by the operator so as to be able to judge the instrument's suitability.

If this is not feasible or not carried out, it should be replaced with an instrument with known tolerances." Further guidance exists with relation to the use of qualified monitoring staff.

"Defra/WAG consider that use of MCERTS-certified personnel is desirable, but that each case should be judged on its merits" Defra/WAG recognise that instruments approved under MCERTS can generally be expected to produce measurements with less uncertainty than CEMs that have not been approved.

Sira Certification Service has been appointed by the Agency as the certification body to operate the certification elements of MCERTS.

As more MCERTS certificates are awarded the importance of MCERTS continues to grow, and one of the best ways to keep abreast of developments would be to attend the MCERTS event at the Bretby Conference Centre near Burton-on-Trent on 12th and 13th October.

'MCERTS 2005' is more than just a Conference; it also offers a series of workshops and an exhibition It is jointly organised by the Environment Agency, the Source Testing Association, and Environmental Technology (Publications) and seeks to provide the latest information on Standards, regulatory issues and technologies relating to air quality monitoring.

The Conference will include a presentation from the Environment Agency giving technical guidance on monitoring methods with further presentations on particulate and gas analysis.

Each day will feature nearly 50 Workshop sessions that will deal with issues relating to air quality in stack emissions, the ambient environment and in the workplace.

Presentations will include subjects such as 'how to improve your OMS score', and intriguingly 'why you should not use a PID' (by a PID manufacturer) CEMS, CAMS, BS EN 14181, the monitoring of NOx, SOx, HCl, ammonia, dioxin, particulates, mercury, discontinuous monitoring, manual stack monitoring, calibration, sampling, certification of monitoring staff and much more.

Looking forward to this year's event, John Tipping from the Environment Agency added "MCERTS 2005 promises to be even bigger and better.

Over the 18 months or so since the last event MCERTS has made major progress in a number of areas, for example, increased number of certified instruments, certified personnel and accredited laboratories, the launch of a scheme for portable gas analysers and technical endorsement 5 for PM10 etc.

There is also the extension to direct toxicity measurements and potential extension to landfill gas measurements.

One further major development has been the introduction of European standard EN 14181 for LCPD (Large Combustion Plant Directive) and WID (Waste Incineration Directive) installations.

We will be running workshops on this important standard during the two days at Bretby".

Delegate numbers at the 2004 MCERTS event were up by 50% over the previous year, and as such the organisers anticipate that 2005 will also be a sell-out.

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