Chapter 19 - Measurement of Air Quality

Abstract

This chapter focuses on air quality measurements, which are designed to determine the levels of all types of contaminants in the atmosphere to differentiate between naturally occurring contaminants and those that result from human activity. Measurements of air quality fall into three classes: measurement of emissions, meteorological measurements, and measurement of ambient air quality. Modern monitoring and measurement equipment uses power-driven pumps and other collection devices, and can sample a larger volume of air in a relatively shorter time than older equipment. Both total suspended particulate matter (TSP) and particles 10 μm in diameter or less (PM10) are measured when monitoring ambient air. Ambient concentrations of gaseous air pollutants are usually measured by reacting the gas chemically with a colorimetric reagent and measuring the intensity of the reaction product color.