Abstract
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations in an ice arena were evaluated before and after a three-way catalytic converter and fuel management system were retrofitted to a 7-year-old ice resurfacing machine. Continuous monitoring with a chemiluminescence NO2 analyzer for 68 and 71 consecutive hours before and after the retrofit indicated an 87% reduction in airborne NO2 concentrations. Simultaneous multiple location sampling with Palmes tube diffusive samplers confirmed this reduction following the retrofit. In the ice arena used for testing, the average NO2 concentration was reduced from 1.9 to 0.25 ppm. In addition, carbon monoxide (CO) levels were reduced by 57% from 14 to 6 ppm. These findings indicate that there is a practical and affordable solution to reduce N02 and CO concentrations in ice skating facilities that can be used with other measures to improve air quality.