Total Particulate Matter Air Sampling at LANL
Air Quality Index - AQI
| Employee Smoke Alert | Los Alamos PM 2.5 24-hour Rolling Average |
White Rock PM 2.5 24-hour Rolling Average |
|---|---|---|
| The current condition is: Good | 8.70 µg/m3 | 8.40 µg/m3 |
| Weather Forecast | View data | View data |
AQI is an index for reporting daily air quality. It tells you how clean or polluted your air is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for you. The AQI focuses on health effects you may experience within a few hours or days after breathing polluted air. EPA calculates the AQI for five major air pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act.
To address potential work time exposures to ambient particulate (smoke) generated from wild fires, the following guidance is offered:
- Particulate from forest fires tend to be very small (0.4-0.7micrometers) and can add to or exacerbate many health conditions.
- LANL currently measures ambient particulate levels in the Los Alamos town site at LAMC and in White Rock using PM 2.5 micron, monitoring methods.
- These monitoring results include contributions from smoke related particulate matter.
- Rolling 24-hour PM 2.5 averages are updated every 30 minutes.
AQI Guidance
The following table contains information published by the New Mexico Environmental Department and provides air quality guidance. Work activity guidance has also been added by LANL's ADESH&Q Directorate.
- Indoor PM 2.5 equivalent particulate levels are normally 70-80% of outdoor levels unless HEPA filtered.
- Health Levels are based on total PM 2.5.
- All health related impacts are generalized and an individual's response to smoke may vary.
- Managers and employees are encouraged to work together to assess any localized health risks that may result from exposure to ambient smoke and employee work activities, particularly with employees with preexisting health conditions as discussed in the chart below.
| Condition | Concentration PM 2.5 (µg/m3 24-hour average) |
Air Quality Index | Cautionary Statements | Recommendations for Outdoor Work Activities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | 0-15 | 0-50 | None. | None. |
| Moderate | 16-35 | 51-100 | Unusually sensitive people should consider reducing prolonged or heavy exertion. | None. |
| Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups | 36-65 | 101-150 | Sensitive groups or individuals with preexisting conditions with heart or lung disease ( i.e. asthma), older adults, and children should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion. | Sensitive individuals or individuals with preexisting health conditions aggravated by smoke are responsible for determining and moderating outdoor work effort/activity level. |
| Unhealthy | 66-150 | 151-200 | People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion.
Everyone else should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion. |
Restrict outdoor work activities to light activity: i.e. light manual work with hands or arms, occasional walking. Restrict Indoor and outdoor exercise and activity (Wellness Center closure). |
TEOM Sampler Data Readings
What is Total Particulate Matter Air Sampling?
LANL monitors the composition of particulate matter and volatile organic compounds in the ambient atmosphere in Los Alamos County and to provide better background data for these types of constituents for use in the event of an emergency. Data are downloaded from Tapered Element Oscillating Microbalance (TEOM) samplers every hour. In order to provide the most current data possible, the data have not been fully validated and verified. Two TEOM samplers are present at each sampling site:
- PM 2.5
- Used for measuring particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter.
- PM 2.5 measurements represent fine particles that are inhaled deeply into the lung. Sources of these fine particles include internal combustion engines, forest fires, power plants, and atmospheric processes such as condensation and smog formation.
- PM 10
- Used for measuring particulate matter less than 10 micrometers in diameter.
- PM 10 measurements include the PM 2.5 particles and larger particles such as those produced from “mechanical” disturbances such as unpaved roads, construction activities, material handling, and wind storms.
