PM2.5 and PM10 monitors: Importance and application in air quality monitoring | Dust monitoring |

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PM10 and PM2.5 have less than an effective aerodynamic diameter of 10 micrometres and 2.5 micrometres respectively. All types of combustion activities including vehicular emission and forest fires are a major source of particulate matter (PM). Secondary PM can be indirectly generated by complex reactions with other pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, present abundantly in the atmosphere. Construction and mining activities, unpaved roads, accounts for dust and particulate pollution. Dust monitoring at such sites is crucial to quantify the source contribution and PM size distribution.

Emission sources, topography and meteorological conditions are principle factors governing air pollution. Due to region-specific factors, the distribution and extent of pollution are different everywhere. To reduce PM concentration levels, it is imperative to define the pollution problem of the region of interest. Monitoring PM2.5 and PM10 concentration also enable us in carrying out long-term trend analysis. Recently CPCB’s National Ambient Air Quality Status & Trends report showed that while 78% of cities exceeded PM10 standards, PM2.5 concentrations have increased significantly in the last 3 years. Another report, named ‘Impact of Lockdown on Ambient Air Quality’ showed an unusually high ratio of PM2.5 to PM10. Based on these observations it was possible to attribute the source of the pollution to biomass burning and cooking fuel.

Majority of PM2.5 and PM10 sources are emitted from our day-to-day activities, which makes PM pollution a global issue. It is corroborated with a study carried out by the World Health Organization (WHO). It states that 9 out of 10 people worldwide breathe air containing high levels of particulate pollutants. As a result, 7 million premature deaths worldwide are attributed to air pollution (particularly PM2.5 and PM10). Out of which, 1.2 million Indians lost their lives prematurely according to the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. This translates to global economic losses of US$ 3 trillion according to the OECD Report, of which India bear US$ 150 billion in monetary losses, according to Greenpeace Southeast Asia report.
Economic losses are due to lost productivity and increased expenditure in healthcare. Such analyses are carried out using concentration-response relationships. It shows the percent change to various changes in various health metrics brought by the percent change in pollution concentration. PM monitoring devices provide crucial datasets to develop such relationships. The study of the concentration-response relationship for PM2.5 and PM10 helps in understanding the economic co-benefits of PM pollution reduction. It also helps in calculating return on investment (ROI) value during the economic feasibility of air pollution abatement plan. Highly accurate PM monitoring systems are prerequisite to facilitate such planning. Capacity building by increasing the number of PM monitors will pay back with improved productivity and reduced healthcare spending. Resultantly, the benefits of air pollution reduction will significantly outweigh costs as per TERI’s research. Such pollution abatement strategies which are built upon the data from PM monitors can effectively reduce people’s exposure to PM2.5 and PM10.

Particulate air pollution is a global issue. Existing networks of PM monitors have shown that PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations have increased manifold around the world in the past few years. Various international agreements are signed owing to their serious health and economic implications. In India, the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP) identified the limitation of inadequate PM monitoring systems. National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) is a target to attain targets of national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS). It has also allocated a budget to expand the networks of PM monitors. Along with monitoring of pollutants, it addresses the institutional and administrative aspects of air pollution reduction.

Dustroid is a dust monitoring device specifically designed to measure high particulate pollution loads which are experienced at mining and construction sites.OIZOM’s devices provide high-quality monitoring data at an economical cost. The data generated by them can be easily integrated into various platforms and can be mapped to generate dynamic pollution maps.
OIZOM’s PM monitors are a perfect choice for monitoring PM2.5 and PM10 concentration at airports, roads and highways, and underground facilities such as tunnels and parking lots. Supplementary details on how to select monitoring location can be found in OIZOM’s Whitepaper on location selection.