Measuring and Evaluating Air Pollutants and Other Stressors in Real Time

1. Bruce Groves, CIH Morristown, NJ Measuring and Evaluating Air Pollutants and Other Stressorsin Real Time

2. How do we improve air quality in high-density areas? Focus on local air pollution that creates unhealthy pockets of air pollution that cumulatively impact people who are exposed

3. Reducing Local Air Pollution Levels Requires Alternative Approaches to Evaluate and Control Exposures Pollution sources are often: • Numerous • Diverse • Mobile • Episodic • Affected by localmeteorologic conditions

4. The Solution is Real-time, Integrated Sampling and Evaluation • Offers the best approach for environmental assessment • Completely integrates environmental data • Focuses on challenging, polluted areas • Allows immediate action and observation

5. Integrated, Real-time Air/Environmental Monitoring allows us to: • Focus on air sampling of dust (multiple particle size) and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) (gases, vapors) • Correlate measurement to wind speed and direction • Include video, digital imaging, and other environmental data • Provide immediate graphic illustration of integrated data

6. Creating Safer Neighborhoods

7. Creating Safer Neighborhoods When particulates, vapors, and other measurable contaminants (surrogates) are at threshold, we: • Alert authorized personnel • Take prompt action to reduce pollutants • Start automatic analytic sampling

8. Monitoring Environmental Stressors That Can Affect Cumulative Health Inpacts • Noise • Vibration • Temperature, other meteorologic indicators • Radiation • Odor • Microbiologic (spores, bacteria, pollen counts)

9. Benefits of Real-time Monitoring of Neighborhood Pollutants • Identify local pollution sources in real time • Identify and measure contributing conditions • Sample specific contaminants when surrogate triggers are at threshold

10. Benefits of Real-time Monitoring of Neighborhood Pollutants • Measure effectiveness and return on investment (ROI) of controls to reduce pollution • Provide integrated data from all detectors within a single platform and in real time • Provide empirical data to test and better design air quality models and approaches

11. Policy Recommendations: Scientific Policy • Launch pilot studies of sophisticated, integrated real-time data monitoring systems in targeted high-density areas • Identify, test, and evaluate detector technology • Focus research in measuring particulate size concentrations as surrogates for improving local air pollution

12. Policy Recommendations: • Legislative policy • Analyze real-time empirical data to develop consistent thresholds and approaches to reduce air pollution • Evaluate current practices in measuring air pollution and other environmental stressors at construction and hazardous waste sites • Develop consistent actions and controls when pollutants are at threshold

13. Questions and AnswersBruce D. Groves, CIHwww.emilcott.com