Dust and Aerosol Monitoring

 

Find the Right Dust & Aerosol Monitoring Solution

Ensure safety, compliance, and air quality with the right monitoring system. Whether your goal is to meet occupational exposure limits, track process emissions, or improve indoor air quality, today’s advanced dust and aerosol monitors make it simple to stay in control.

Modern monitoring technology delivers real-time insights, automated reporting, and greater confidence that your facility meets regulatory and safety standards—without the complexity of manual data collection.

This page will help you:

  • Streamline compliance reporting and simplify audits

  • Understand why now is the right time to modernize monitoring

  • Compare dust and aerosol monitoring models to find your ideal fit

  • Connect with experts who can configure a system tailored to your environment

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Improve Regulatory Monitoring

Staying compliant with occupational exposure limits can be challenging—especially when data is scattered across spreadsheets and lab results arrive after the shift ends. With DustTrak™ real-time aerosol monitors, you can simplify this process by automating measurements, data logging, visualization, and reporting—so your team can make informed decisions in the moment, not after the fact.

By streamlining compliance workflows, DustTrak™ reduces manual effort, minimizes reporting delays, and gives you more time to focus on improving workplace safety and environmental conditions.

Key Benefits

  • Continuously Logged, Audit-Ready Data
    Automatically record and export data in standardized formats—no more digging through spreadsheets to prepare for inspections or audits.

  • Real-Time Exceedance Insights
    Receive instant alerts when exposure limits are approached or exceeded, allowing proactive action to prevent repeat events and protect workers.

  • Standardized Methods Across Shifts and Areas
    Maintain consistency and reliability in your monitoring program, whether you’re tracking exposure in one area or across multiple teams and shifts.

  • Centralized Records for Faster Audit Response
    Consolidate all monitoring data in one place for quick access, easy reporting, and streamlined audit readiness.

By integrating DustTrak™ into your safety and compliance programs, you gain continuous visibility, data integrity, and actionable insights—helping your facility stay compliant while creating a safer environment for every shift.

Ask a Safety Specialist View Model Comparison Chart 

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Effective Monitoring: Dos and Don’ts for Workplace Safety

Strong safety programs are built on accurate, consistent, and proactive monitoring practices. Even the most advanced instruments can’t deliver their full value without a clear plan and reliable data interpretation. The following dos and don’ts highlight proven strategies—and common pitfalls to avoid—when building or refining your dust and aerosol exposure monitoring program.

Do:

  • Establish a clear monitoring strategy and maintain it consistently — define your objectives, set a schedule, and ensure all instruments are calibrated and used according to plan. Reliable data starts with disciplined, intentional practice.

Don’t:

  • Rely on single data points or incomplete analysis. Workplace conditions change, so trend data and ongoing communication are essential for understanding exposure and preventing repeat incidents.

Read the Full Guide 

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Beyond Compliance: Real-Time + Manual Monitoring Together

Regulatory sampling is foundational—but it’s retrospective. Pair the Casella Apex personal sampling pump with the TSI SidePak™ AM520 to keep your compliance base while gaining real-time insight for faster action, better control verification, and lower monitoring burden.

  • Regulatory Compliance: Apex provides audit-ready TWA exposure data.  Samples are collected on approved media and sent to a lab for analysis. This offers precise, legally defensible data that meets OSHA and other regulatory requirements.
  • Act Faster: SidePak™ alerts you to peaks as they occur.
  • Optimize Effort: Reduce unnecessary samples and lab costs.


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Casella Apex & SidePak™ AM520: A Complete Monitoring Pair

Together, these instruments combine regulatory precision with real-time awareness—capturing both compliance-grade data and actionable, live insights.

Casella Apex Personal Sampling Pump

Designed for regulatory air sampling; delivers accurate TWA data for lab analysis and OSHA reporting.

  • Legally defensible compliance data
  • Quiet, lightweight for full-shift sampling
  • Supports multiple media (filters/cassettes)

Request a Quote for Casella Apex

TSI SidePak™ AM520 Personal Aerosol Monitor

Direct-reading personal monitor providing real-time particle data and alarms for task-based assessment.

  • Instant feedback with visual alarms and logging
  • Time-stamped trends to find sources and verify controls
  • Rugged, portable design for mobile IH use

Request a Quote for SidePak AM520

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Why Upgrade Your Monitoring Now

Many facilities are rethinking how they manage dust and aerosol exposure. Traditional, manual sampling with personal pumps—such as the Casella Apex™ Personal Sampling Pump—remains a critical part of regulatory compliance. However, relying on after-the-fact lab results alone can leave safety teams reacting instead of preventing exposure issues.

That’s why more organizations are upgrading their monitoring programs to include both manual compliance tools and real-time instruments. Together, they provide the complete picture—combining validated, lab-ready results from the Apex™ Personal Sampling Pump with live data and alerts from real-time monitors like the DustTrak™ Aerosol Monitor and SidePak™ AM52Personal Aerosol Monitor.

Why the Upgrade Matters

  • Close the Gap Between Sampling and Response: Real-time instruments help you act immediately, while the Apex provides the defensible data required for reporting.

  • Instant Trend Visibility and Exceedance Alerts: Monitor exposure patterns throughout the day, not just after a shift is complete.

  • Audit-Ready Exports Streamline Inspections: Automated data capture reduces manual entry and simplifies compliance documentation.

  • Future-Proof Your Monitoring Program: Evolving safety standards and corporate sustainability goals are pushing for continuous visibility—upgrading now ensures your program is ready.

 Compliant Manual and Real-Time Together  

 View Real Time Monitors

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Explore Real Time Monitoring Solutions

Real-time monitoring provides immediate visibility into changing dust and aerosol levels, helping safety teams respond before minor issues become compliance violations or safety risks. Unlike manual sampling, which only reveals exposure after the shift ends, real-time systems such as the DustTrak™ Aerosol Monitor and SidePak™ AM520 Personal Aerosol Monitor deliver live data, instant alerts, and automated reporting.

This proactive approach enhances worker protection, confirms that engineering controls are functioning effectively, and reduces downtime associated with sampling delays or corrective actions. By integrating real-time monitoring into your safety program, you can strengthen compliance, improve decision-making, and gain greater operational efficiency.

Decide whether desktop, handheld, or personal monitoring fits your needs—or combine them for complete visibility and control.


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DustTrak™ & SidePak™ Model Comparison

DustTrak™ DRX Aerosol Monitor 8533 (Desktop)

  • Continuous, fixed-area or process monitoring

  • Touchscreen; Ethernet/USB/optional wireless

  • Long-duration studies, exposure mapping, control verification

Request for Quote

DustTrak™ Handheld 8534

  • Battery-powered mobility for spot checks and walkthroughs

  • Fast validation samples to identify sources and verify controls

  • Data storage for field analysis and reporting

Request for Quote

SidePak™ AM520 / AM520i (Personal Exposure)

  • Wearable, battery-powered monitoring in the breathing zone

  • Real-time direct-reading data and alarms

  • AM520i is intrinsically safe for explosive environments

Request for Quote
Feature DustTrak™ 8533 DustTrak™ 8534 SidePak™ AM520/AM520i
Primary Use Continuous area Portable spot-checks Personal exposure
Mobility Stationary Handheld Wearable
Data Access Ethernet/USB/wireless USB USB; BT (AM520i)
Intrinsically Safe AM520i
 

Consult with a Safety Specialist

Get guidance tailored to your facility, processes, and compliance goals. We’ll help you align DustTrak™, SidePak™, and Casella configurations to your environment, advise on placement and validation, and simplify your audit workflow.

 
 
 

Related Resources

Introducing the intrinsically safe SidePak AM520i

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Understanding the Hazards of Aerosols and Dust in the Workplace

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Understanding Permissible Exposure Limits: Aerosol and Dust Levels in the Workplace

Create safer working environments and prevent occupational illnesses

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