Pavithra Kannan

AP Enviro. Science
March 9, 2017

Indoor Particulates Lab Report

I. Pre-Lab:

Air particle pollution comes from particulate matter in the air that can cause
harmful effects if inhaled. The Clean Air Act requires EPA to set national air
quality standards for particulate matter, as one of the six criteria pollutants
considered harmful to public health and the environment. The health effects of
these can cause premature death in people with heart or lung disease, nonfatal
heart attacks, irregular heartbeat, aggravated asthma, decreased lung function,
increased respiratory symptoms, such as irritation of the airways, coughing, or
difficulty breathing. In terms of environmental damage, it can make lakes and
streams acidic, changing the nutrient balance in coastal waters and large river
basins, and depleting the nutrients in soil.

II. Hypothesis:
The highest amount of particulates will be in the storage area in the basement whereas the
lowest will be in the garden.

III. Materials:
- Petri Dishes
- Double Sided Tape
- Microscopic Slides
- Labels

IV. Procedure:

1. Label petri dishes according to where they were located.

2. Allow slides to sit exposed in several different locations for ___ days
3. Keep one slide in a closed petri dish as a control
4. Use a microscope to observe the particulates that have accumulated on each
slide. Take note of the types of particles on each slide
5. Set the microscope at 100x magnification. Without moving the slide, count all
the particulates you see. Record your total count on the data table.
6. Look at a second microscope field that does not overlap the first. Count and
record that number of particulates. Repeat one more time.
7. Calculate the average particulate count on each slide.
8. Find the actual number of particles deposited on each slide by subtracting the
average count from the control from each slides average count.
 Pavithra Kannan
AP Enviro. Science
March 9, 2017

V. Data:

Particulate Data Table

Slide 1 Slide 2 Slide 3 Slide 4 Slide 5 Slide 6 Slide 7
Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location: Location:
Garden Bedroom Kitchen Basement Hall Control
Days Exposed 5 5 5 5 5 x 5
Field 1 2 5 8 21 11 x 22
Field 2 1 8 9 7 13 x 44
Field 3 2 11 21 11 2 x 49
Average count 1.7 8 12.7 13 8.7 x 83.3
Total number 5 24 38 39 26 x 115

Particulates per Location

140

120 115

100

80
Number of Patriculates 60
38 39
40
24 26
20
5
0
Garden Bedroom Kitchen Basement Hall Control

Average Count
90 83.3
80
70
60
50
Average Number of Particles 40
30
20 12.7 13
8 8.7
10 1.7
0
Garden Bedroom Kitchen Basement Hall Control
 Pavithra Kannan
AP Enviro. Science
March 9, 2017

VI. Conclusion:

What was your original hypothesis? Did your data support your hypothesis? Why
or why not?

The original hypothesis was that the basement would have the most particulates and
the garden would have the least. The data supported the latter half as the garden only had
5 particulates. However the highest number of particulates was found in the control room
(the classroom). Originally we expected the lowest number of PM in the garden because
of the organic matter which could absorb some particulates, leaving very little to attach to
the tape. The basement storage areas are often dusty areas where lots of dust and
particulates collect which is why we thought it would have the most particulate matter.
While those observations may or may not have been true, a prominent factor that affected
how many particulates were on a slide was its location in the room. Those placed near a
vent or fan would have come in contact with a lot more particulates than those in an area
without much air movement. Such was the reason the control had the highest amount of
PM (lots of air circulation) versus the garden which was far away from any vents.

What law regulates the levels of particulate matter in the air?

The Clean Air Act was enacted in 1963 and require that the EPA name national air
quality standards for six criteria pollutants which include ground level ozone, carbon
monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, lead and particulate matter.