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.

Environment

Air / water / soil quality

Projects/Programs

Displaying 1 - 23 of 23
Photograph of a labeled amber bottle containing SRM 2429.

Activated Carbon and FGD Gypsum Standard Reference Materials

Completed
The role of mercury in the environment is now receiving close scrutiny because ultimately it can bioaccumulate as alkyl mercury in seafood with subsequent risk to human health through trophic transfer. Many industrial sources of mercury have been effectively reduced in recent years, but atmospheric
Figure 1

Advanced Microscopy for Trace and Bulk Particle Characterization

Ongoing
The goal of this project is to help develop innovative metrologies and measurement protocols for micro/nano-scale analysis of particles. In this project, state-of-the-art optical and electron-based microscopy are used to conduct research for quantitative and qualitative analysis of chemical
Photograph of three Standard Reference Materials of various soil matrices.

Certification of Three Soil SRMs for Inorganic Environmental Measurements

Completed
The three NIST soil SRMs, 2709, 2710 and 2711, have been used worldwide by hundreds of laboratories; combined sales typically exceed 800 units per year. Use of these SRMs provides our customers with tools that are essential for achieving quality assurance in the analysis of contaminant elements in
Illustration of satellite sensing of sunlight reflected by buildings, roads, water and trees to assess radiative warming of the earth.

Climate Science

Ongoing
This program encompasses multifaceted efforts to advance the metrology of climate science. Projects include: development of ultra-high accuracy optical standards and technologies to determine greenhouse gases (GHGs) concentrations, atmospheric lifetimes, and aerosol radiative forcing development of

Ecogenotoxicity Measurements of Nanoparticles

Completed
Intended Impact Understanding the potential environmental fate of NPs has direct implications to the US economy, as potential environmental and human health impacts of NPs is one of the main factors slowing the commercialization of this technology. Reducing the uncertainty regarding the
NMR-Tubes

Fluid Phase Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy

Ongoing
In-situ vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE). We are applying vapor-phase NMR to measure VLE in-situ. We are currently applying this methodology to industrially important systems such as refrigerants and natural gas. The most widely used refrigerants have high global warming potential. Drop-in
Photograph of a labeled amber bottle containing SRM 2683c Bituminous Coal.

Fossil Fuel Standard Reference Materials

Ongoing
The regulatory requirements with respect to air quality and fossil fuel specifications are continually changing, and consequently the associated measurement needs of the fossil fuel energy industries also change. For example, in recent years there has been a dramatic reduction in the allowable
Photograph of a unit of SRM 2668 with labeled box and frozen plastic vials.

Measurements and Standards for Contaminants in Biological (Human) Materials

Ongoing
The development of SRMs to support measurements for contaminants in biological fluids and tissues will expand quality assurance capabilities to important species critical to human health. We will provide SRMs that are representative of the analytical challenges that may be encountered by analysts in
MNP Metrology Program

Microplastic and Nanoplastic Metrology

Ongoing
The Micro and Nanoplastic (MNP) Metrology Project aims to develop a toolbox of methods for size-based separations from complex matrices, chemical characterization protocols, and test materials necessary to enable quantification of micro- and nano-sized plastic particles, a need articulated by our
USAXS animation

Multiscale structure and dynamics in advanced technological materials

Ongoing
New technologies increasingly harness materials phenomena that operate across many length-scales: e.g., in selective gas adsorption, additive manufacturing, new alloy designs, or advanced concretes. To overcome technology barriers, it is no longer sufficient just to characterize the materials
Photograph of the NIST Standard Reference Photometer showing the component modules consisting of optical bench with sample and reference tubes, ozone generator module with controls and tubing, and control module with numeric LED displays.

The NIST Standard Reference Photometer for Ozone Measurement Traceability

Ongoing
The concentration of ozone in the atmosphere continues to be an important global issue both scientifically and politically. Stratospheric ozone protects the Earth from harmful UV radiation, while tropospheric ozoneis a major health concern and contributes to global climate change as a greenhouse gas
Photo montage showing fill the airplane with fire-fighting foam, a spilled glass of wine on the tablecloth. Cleaning clothes and furniture from stains, Discarded Fast Food Wrappers Littered on Ground, wateproof jacket with water droplets on it. Jacket using the gore-tex technology.

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

Ongoing
Perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) constitute a family of compounds that are distinguished by partial or complete fluorination of alkyl hydrocarbons. Dubbed “forever chemicals”, the unique chemistry of PFAS imparts a high level of stability, making the compounds resistant to
Illustrated cube has crystal framework in gray with red balls interspersed in the open spaces.

Performance Metrics for Direct Air Capture of Carbon Dioxide

Ongoing
Sorbents in Direct Air Capture (DAC) are exposed to the atmosphere, where they adsorb CO2 then are isolated from atmosphere, the CO2 is driven off by heating or pulling vacuum, refreshing the sorbents. This adsorption-refresh cycle depends not only on the competitive adsorption of CO2 with the other
Photograph of two labeled amber bottles containing marine sediments.

Reference materials for emerging and legacy organic contaminants

Ongoing
The Biochemical and Exposure Sciences Group (BSEG) produces environmental matrix and solution-based reference materials to support the environmental measurement community. These materials assist in identifying legacy organic contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)that were commonly

Seabird Tissue Archival and Monitoring Project (STAMP)

Ongoing
Seabirds are an important group of upper trophic-level marine organisms with potential for accumulating lipophilic contaminants. Analyses of seabird tissues, particularly eggs, have played important roles in temporal and spatial environmental monitoring of persistent organic pollutants (POPs—e.g
Photograph of a packaged unit of SRM 2700 Hexavalent chromium in Contaminated Soil (low Level)

Standard Reference Materials for Hexavalent Chromium in Contaminated Soil

Completed
During the last century, chromate and dichromate chemical production facilities processed considerable amounts of chromite ore for industrial manufacturing purposes. The waste material from these operations called chromite ore processing residue (COPR) was disposed of in waste sites across the
Breathalyzer

Vapor Sampling in the Field

Ongoing
Breath sampling of cannabis users. Several versions of breath collection devices are being marketed for the detection of THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) in the breath of cannabis users. THC is not directly correlated to intoxication but may indicate recent smoking or vaping. THC and other

Wastewater Surveillance

Ongoing
NIST is partnering with the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (DHS/S&T) to develop documentary standards and reference materials to support an enduring capability in wastewater surveillance. Ongoing activities include: Development of a research grade test material