The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) has published a guide for those looking to invest in low cost air sensors for the purposes of measuring ambient air quality. The Series 500 is highlighted as leading the pack for measuring ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide.

Valuable guidance for low cost air monitoring

The US EPA has been surprised by the recent surge in demand for low cost air sensors from the public, community groups, researchers and air quality professionals. The Air Sensor Guidebook is their effort to offer guidance and support for those users so they can make the good decisions about what equipment to buy and how best to use it.

Aeroqual is fully supportive of the Guidebook and is recommending it to all current and prospective customers.

Leadership in ambient air pollution sensors

The Guidebook specifies the Aeroqual Series 500 sensors for the measurement of ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and carbon monoxide (CO). Other leading manufacturers such as Met One Instruments and Dylos are highlighted for low cost particulate monitoring – PM10, PM2.5 and TSP.

The fact Aeroqual features so strongly (see pages 23 onwards) highlights the leading position we have in low cost sensors for ambient pollution monitoring.

Step 1 towards standards for next generation air quality monitors

The Guidebook shows the US EPA is going to take a more proactive role in defining the new market for low cost air sensors, and other regulators are likely to follow their lead.

In the 2013 Next Generation Air Monitoring Roadmap the US EPA acknowledged that: “Current sophisticated, expensive ambient air pollution monitoring technology is not economically sustainable as the sole approach and cannot keep up with current needs, specifically new monitoring networks and special purpose monitoring”.

As a result the US EPA is now accelerating plans to test and develop alternative air quality measurement devices such as the AQM 60 and Series 500 made by manufacturers like Aeroqual. In time appropriate standards for these monitors will follow.