Passive Particle Monitoring
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Introduction
A passive particle monitor measures particles without the use of mechanical or electrical systems, depending instead on natural wind-blown deposition of particles on a collection surface. Passive particle monitoring is frequently used for qualitative "nuisance dust" measurements, and more recently to extrapolate airborne PM concentrations and the direction dust comes from.
Passive monitoring promises to be less expensive and more robust than active monitors' mechanical and electrical components, but comes with a different set of challenges. Public Lab is investigating one promising passive monitor as a tool for measuring airborne PM concentrations.
Advantages and Disadvantages
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| low cost (less than $100 devices) | deployed for 3-7 days, low temporal resolution |
| deployed without electricity | not real-time (results must be analyzed after collection) |
| simple setup and calibration | analysis can be expensive |
| actual particles are collected | particle speciation is limited by method and cost |
| can generate airborne particle concentrations | no way to extrapolate to airborne concentrations of speciated particles |
| may correlate well with [Federal Reference Methods] | not an officially recognized method |