Outdoor Air Quality Monitoring

Globally, there is an increasing awareness of environmental health, and the quality of the air we breathe. This awareness has put pressure on those generating pollutants, like fugitive emissions, to increase their monitoring, control and reporting activities.

Fugitive emissions are pollutants released into the air from cracked seals, pipes and other unintended areas. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines fugitive emissions as unintended emissions from facilities or activities—for example, road construction—that cannot reasonably pass through a vent, stack, chimney, or other functionally equivalent opening. Examples of these emissions are fine particles (PM10 and PM2.5), aerosols and dust, which impact outdoor air quality.  

Today, many monitoring agencies are requesting real-time air quality data from companies, to prove their fugitive emissions levels meet regulation. If emission levels exceed the limit, monitoring agencies can administer consequences.    

Fugitive Emissions Applications

There are many applications for monitoring PM10 and PM2.5 aerosols, gases and VOCs in the outdoor fugitive emissions space. These include but are not limited to the following:

• Fugitive dust monitoring
  • Fence-line or perimeter monitoring at hazardous waste sites
  • Perimeter monitoring of brownfields and remediation sites
  • Perimeter monitoring of construction sites
  • Hospital monitoring
  • Mine perimeter monitoring
  • Utility and petrochemical site monitoring
  • Incinerators
• Community watch group monitoring (voluntary and state implementation plans)
  • Urban air pollution monitoring
  • Criteria air pollutants monitoring
  • Watch groups
  • Roadside emissions monitoring