Air quality measurements—From rubber bands to tapping the rainbow

Michael T. Kleinman

Air quality measurements are an essential part of environmental protection. From the first observations of visible smoke to application of portable mass spectrometers, accurate and precise measurements have facilitated good policies that have cost-effectively reduced adverse effects of environmental pollution. Essentially, good science has enabled good policy. Modern computers and electronics are allowing a broader range of pollutants to be measured by smaller, lower-power, and cheaper devices. Several citizen science Web sites have been established to involve the general public in contributing to and consuming air quality information. The rapid availability of real-time measurements at air quality sites has improved forecasts and allowed citizens to make informed decisions about their daily activities.

The 47th annual Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) Critical Review takes a historical look at the evolution and application of air quality measurements, with special emphasis on the contributions made by members of the Air & Waste Management Association over its 110-year history. The review traces criteria pollutant gases and particles from their original discovery through their detection by material degradation, reactions with solutions, gravitational settling, and filter sampling through modern detection systems that are widely deployed today. The review emphasizes the importance of a measurement system that goes far beyond the mere hardware used for the measurements. It emphasizes the need for calibration and performance standards, internal and external audits, data validation procedures, advanced data bases, and Internet-based data delivery systems. The review laments the fact that many costly, and still potentially useful, data sets have been lost owing to a lack of commitment to long-term data repositories.

A&WMA is especially fortunate to have five long-term members of its Critical Review Committee as authors of this review. These contributors have a combined experience of more than 200 years in air quality measurements, modeling, and emission reduction strategy development. This is the third Critical Review led by Dr. George M. Hidy, who also authored the 1984 and 2010 reviews (Hidy, 1984; Hidy and Pennell, 2010). Dr. Hidy is a long-term A&WMA member, a former Journal of Air & Waste Management Association (JA&WMA) co-editor, and a pioneer in early aerosol characterization studies in southern California and the eastern United States. The review is informed by Dr. Peter K. Mueller, A&WMA’s longest continuous member (65 years) and another pioneer in air quality measurements. Dr. Mueller’s experience extends from the early days of impingers and color-changing paper to the automated systems in place today, beginning with his service at California’s Air & Industrial Hygiene Laboratory in the 1950s. Dr. Hidy’s and Dr. Mueller’s careers span the entire development of modern air quality measurement science. The importance of measurements for policy decisions benefits from the experience of Mr. Samuel L. Altshuler, who spent a career on pollution issues at Pacific Gas and Electric Company in California and served 15 years on the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s Advisory Council. Dr. Judith C. Chow is a measurement expert who authored the 1995 Critical Review (Chow, 1995) on this topic and provided several decades of innovation related to particulate matter sampling and analysis. Finally, Dr. John G. Watson, who has been a continuous Critical Review Committee member since 1982, and authored the 2002 Critical Review (Watson, 2002), identifies many of the important contributions made to measurement science by A&WMA members through JA&WMA, specialty conferences, and the annual meeting and exhibition.

A&WMA members and interested parties are invited to read, attend, and comment on the 47th Annual Critical Review at the 110th annual meeting in Pittsburgh, PA, on June 6, 2017, 9:00–11:45 a.m. As always, the review presentation will be followed by comments from invited discussants who will provide different perspectives and agree or disagree with the conclusions and recommendations of the Critical Review and each other. The discussants will identify additional issues and offer new information. Comments also will be accepted from the floor and from written submissions to the Critical Review Committee Chair. The chair will condense and summarize these points in the October issue of JA&WMA. Members are encouraged to suggest topics and authors for future Critical Reviews and to apply for membership on the Critical Review Committee to assist with the process.

Invited discussants

• Sara Head, Yorke Engineering, Newbury Park, CA

• Ralph Morris, Ramboll Environ Inc., Novato, CA

• Eric Stevenson, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, San Francisco, CA

• John Watson, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV

2017 Critical Review Committee

• Michael T. Kleinman, Chair

• Samuel Altshuler, Vice Chair

• George M. Hidy, Past Chair (2009–2012)

• Judith C. Chow, Past Chair (2001–2008)

• John G. Watson, Past Chair (1994–2000)

• Christina Akly

• John Bachmann

• Patricia Brush

• Prakash Doraiswamy

• Stanley Hayes

• Naresh Kumar

• Mark McMillan

• Eric Stevenson