Peter Bell

ENVL 3241

1) Air Quality Around Campus

2a) The purpose of this lab was to measure air quality parameters
using Graywolf indoor/outdoor air quality sensors. The locations where
the parameters were measured including indoor and outdoor locations
as well as the inside and outside of automobiles. In total, eleven
parameters were tested that were considered important to public
health and the environment. Four of these parameters being one of
the six criteria pollutants outlined in part 3. They were measured in 10
second increments for periods of time ranging from 2 to 10 minutes.
Once collected, the data was put into excel sheet and then certain
parameters were graphed using box plots. I graphed carbon monoxide
and ozone for 3 locations. One of these locations was graphed for two
time periods, totalling 4 graphs. Once the data was graphed, I
interpreted it for any visible trends and explained why I thought certain
parameters were at the levels they were at. This lab did a great job of
showing how at varying locations and times how varied certain
parameters can be.

Table of Contents
1) Title
2) Abstract
3) Introduction
4) Objective statement
5) Results
6) Discussion of results
7) Conclusion
8) References

3) The six criteria air pollutants are Ozone, Carbon monoxide, Sulfur-
dioxide, Nitrogen oxides, Lead and particulate matter. The precursors
for Ozone come mostly from motor vehicles and then react with
atmospheric oxygen to create Ozone, especially in the presence of
strong ultraviolet rays. Health impacts include irritation of eyes, nose,
throat, and lungs. The main source of carbon monoxide is any source
where carbon-containing material is burned. The largest source by far
is motor vehicles. The major health concerns of CO are its negative
effects on the heart. The sources of sulfur dioxide are similar to carbon
dioxide, fuel combustion. The health impacts include irritation of eyes,
lungs and other mucous membranes. Environmental effects include
reduction of the amount of sunlight that reaches earth and it plays a
major part in acid deposition. Sources of Nitrogen oxide are motor
vehicles, electric utilities and industrial facilities. Health and
environmental impacts are very similar to sulfur dioxide. Sources of
particulate matter include dust and dirt raised by vehicles, pollen and
sea salt in coastal areas. Health impacts include a wide range of
diseases from asbestosis to cancer. They also contribute to haze and
smog. Lead can be found in paint of old houses, the soil outside of
those homes and solder of old water pipes (Hill 2010).

4) What we set out to do was measure air quality parameters around

campus using Graywolf indoor/outdoor air quality sensors. These
places included the inside and outside areas of certain buildings
around campus and the inside and outside of students cars. The
measurements were to be taken every ten seconds. The length of time
the sensors were left to take measurements was anywhere from 2 to
10 minutes. We wanted to observe how different air quality
parameters differ in these different locations. There are many air
parameters one could measure, but we focused on the ones that have
the most impact on public health and the environment. Once we
collected and observed the data, we wanted to hypothesize on why the
different parameters would be at the levels they are at in different
locations. We also set out to get hands-on experience using the air
quality sensors in a practical setting.

Y-axis units: mg/cubic meter

5)
6) The locations I plotted were the Campus Center, the I-wing Gym
and USC 345 in the am and the evening, which are all indoor locations.
I only plotted carbon monoxide because ozone had almost no variation.
Two of the locations had constant levels of ozone and the two others
only varied by .01 ppm. I didnt think anything of significance could be
found by plotting it. The minimum CO level out of all of these locations
was .1 mg/m3 which was recorded in USC 345 during a time period
from 10:29 am to 10:31 am. The maximum was 1.1 mg/m3 which was
recorded in USC 345 from 6:31 pm to 6:40 pm. The most interesting
thing I found from my plots was how the levels of carbon monoxide in
USC 345 where so much higher in the evening then in the am. One
possibility of why this is, is that as people come and go from the
building, they let in outside air, that is filled with car exhaust, into the
building throughout the day. It could also be caused by appliances and
heating being used in the building throughout the day. There are also
many science labs in this building which may emit small amounts of
carbon monoxide. Another trend I observed was the fact that both the
recordings from I-wing gym and the evening USC 345 had the same
values for their median and quartile 3 readings. Also the recording for
USC 345 in the am had the same values for minimum, quartile 1,
median and quartile 3. Only the max value had a different value from
the other 4 segments with a value of .3 mg/m3. The location with the
highest median value was USC 345 with a value of .8 mg/m3. The
location with the widest variation in values was the campus center with
a variation of .7 mg/m3 in the time period recorded. These values are
all well below the maximum limit proposed by OSHA which is
40mg/m3(CDC 2014).
Im not sure if you wanted a discussion on just ozone and carbon
monoxide or for co, co2, hs and tvoc, so I thought Id add some
observations about those parameters as well. Carbon dioxide had a
vary wide range of values for my 4 readings. There was a minimum of
415 ppm which occurred in the campus center and a high of 847 ppm
which occurred in USC 345 in the am. Tvocs also had a wide range of
values. The minimum was 53 ppb which occured in the campus center
and a maximum of 102 ppb which occurred in the I-wing gym. The I-
wing gym also had the highest hydrogen sulfide levels with a median
value of .17 ppm.

7) This lab demonstrated the differing levels of air quality parameters

around campus. It showed that air quality parameters vary a great
deal depending on the location and time they are measured. I was
surprised to learn that some parameters differ so greatly just
depending on what time they were measured at. Overall, I thought
this lab was a good demonstration on how to gather data about air
quality using the Graywolf air quality sensors. Then, analyzing and
interpreting that data once it is collected.
8)
Hill, M. K. (2010). Understanding environmental pollution - 3rd edition (3rd ed.).
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

CDC. (2014, December 4). Carbon monoxide. Retrieved November 6, 2016, from
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/idlh/630080.html