If you are considering purchasing an air purifier, it’s probably because you worry about the air quality of your town or the surrounding environment in general.
You’ve probably heard some news or read some information about air quality causing health issues in the short or long term, but how is air quality measured? What are the air monitoring technologies?
Key Takeaways
- FRM and FEM monitors are great for measuring air quality.
- Satellite air quality monitoring is used to measure pollution on a large scale.
- You can use low-cost sensors to measure the level of pollution indoors.
Technologies To Measure Air Quality
A variety of air quality monitoring technologies are used today; They include traditional reference-grade FRM/FEM monitors, mobile air quality sensors, low-cost stationary sensors, or satellite monitoring technology.
FRM And FEM Equipment: What Are They?
We are speaking about the federal reference method or federal equivalent method: they represent the scientific standard for air quality monitoring.
This equipment has a strict standard for measurement performance and is typically used to support air quality decision-making from the government or other agencies.
If you’ve read that there is a preoccupying level of air pollution in your town, that information comes probably from these technologies. 1
Mobile Air Quality Monitoring
FRM and FEM monitors are stationary, but sometimes, there’s the need to check the air quality in a particular spot, for example, just outside a laboratory or downtown.
With these systems, furthermore, agencies can use a “block by block” approach when they gather data about pollution across the city. This way, they can provide precise information about pollution.
If you need to know whether or not you need an air purifier in your office, for example, you may need access to information that comes from these systems. 2
Stationary Monitoring With Low-Cost Air Sensors
This low-cost sensor can work both outdoors and indoors. Therefore, not only you can use these systems to get information about the air pollution in your surroundings, but you can also check the effectiveness of your air purifier.
These sensors can be mounted within air purifiers themselves. The best – and most expensive – air purifiers come with a system that can “read” the level of pollution indoors, provide information about it, and work to remove the polluting particles that it detects.
Satellite Air Quality Monitoring
Satellite air quality monitoring is usually used to monitor pollution events and trends on a large scale.
How Can You Contruibute to Lessen Pollution?
A single person can’t do much against pollution, but if any of us adopt some simple habits, we can make a difference.
For example, we can opt for sustainable means of transport and pick the sustainable source of energy in general.
In the meantime, we can remove pollution from our indoor environments with an air purifier.
If we put one of these devices in the places where we spend the majority of our time (it could be the house, the bedroom, or the office), we reduce our exposition to pollution.
This can be very effective in preventing tons of health issues in the long term but also fix health issues (for example, irritation or allergy) in the short term. 3
Conclusion
In this article, we told you about various technologies that help in measuring Air Quality & also told you about the ways in which you can avoid or reduce pollution. We hope that you found this article useful.
FAQ’s
What kinds of technologies are used to control air pollution?
To control particulates, Electrostatic precipitators, Scrubbers, Baghouse filters, etc., are used.
And for the control of gases, Carbon sequestration, Adsorption, Wet scrubbers, etc., are used.
How are air toxins measured?
A gas chromatograph is connected to a GCMS or mass spectrometer, which measures the level of toxins in the air.
What tool is used to measure air quality?
The quality of air is measured by an air quality index or AQI. The AQI works like a thermometer and has a scale ranging from 0-500 degrees which measures the pollution level of the air.
Kylie has been studying air purifiers for the last 20 years and is an expert in the field. She tests and reviews different air purifiers, letting people know they are worth buying. Kylie writes blogs about the latest air purifiers, their features, health benefits, and more. When she’s not writing or spending time with her granddaughter, Kylie can be found testing new air purifiers to see how they perform.
ARTICLE SOURCES
The National Planning Cycles is committed to producing high-quality content that follows industry standards. We do this by using primary sources, such as white papers and government data alongside original reporting from reputable publishers that were appropriate for the accuracy of information while still being unbiased. We have an editorial policy that includes verifiable facts with due credit given where applicable.
- https://filti.com/air-quality-monitoring-technology/#:~:text=Today%2C%20many%20technologies%20are%20available,successfully%20identify%20air%20pollution%20sources.[↩]
- https://www.aeroqual.com/blog/mobile-air-quality-monitoring#:~:text=Broadly%2C%20mobile%20air%20quality%20monitoring,a%20trailer%20or%20mounted%20temporarily.[↩]
- https://www.pca.state.mn.us/news-and-stories/what-you-can-do-about-air-pollution[↩]