Laboratory Activity 4

Air Quality Monitoring

Particulate matter (PM) refers to the many types and sizes of particles suspended in the air
we breathe each day. Particulates include products of combustion, such as soot or ashes,
wind-blown dust, and minute droplets of liquids known as aerosols. PM can range in size
from visible pieces of sand and dirt to microscopic particles so small that 500,000 of them
could fit on the period at the end of this sentence.

Particulate matter poses a serious health threat. Our respiratory systems are equipped to
filter out larger particles. However, the lungs are vulnerable to particles less than 10
microns in diameter (PM10), which can slip past the respiratory system's natural defenses.
Very tiny particles (PM2.5) can penetrate deeply into the lungs and do the most harm. The
particulates we breathe enter the lungs and pass through progressively smaller airways
until they reach the alveoli, tiny air sacs where oxygen enters the blood stream.

Objectives
This experiment aims to familiarize the students with air pollutants and how to detect
them. Specifically, it aims to determine the air quality in the different areas of the student’s
residence.

Materials
For this activity, you will only be needing the following:
- petroleum jelly
- folder/cardboard
- grahing paper/white paper
- string
- magnifying glass

Procedure
Assign five different sampling locations in your home. For example, you can have location
(1) at your gate, (2) in your living room, and (3) in the dirty kitchen, etc. Or you can have
the houses of each group member as the sampling locations. Feel free to assign the
sampling locations.

1.Prepare a particulate collector

a. Cut a 2” x 2” square from the folder/cardboard and another from the

graphing paper/white paper.

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 b. Glue the graphing paper/white paper to the cardboard. Insert, tape or staple
a piece of string so that it can be hung.

c. Smear the graphing paper/white paper with petroleum jelly. If you don’t
have petroleum jelly available, you can use double sided tape or any adhesive
as an alternative.

2.Hang the particulate collector at your sampling locations. Let them hang for about five
(5) days.

3.Afterwards, count the number of particulates present on the particulate collector.

Record your results in Table 1.

4.IF YOU HAVE A MAGNIFYING GLASS AVAILABLE: (Alternatively, you can also use
the zoom feature in your phone’s camera.) With the aid of a magnifying glass, count
the number of particulates. Did the number increase? Record your results in Table 1.
OTHERWISE, IGNORE THIS PART.

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Name: _________________________________________________________________________________________________

Laboratory Report 4
Air Pollution Monitoring

RESULTS

Table 1. Air quality at different locations.

Number of Number of particulates
Sampling Location
particulates under the magnifying glass

INTERPRETATION, ANALYSIS, AND DISCUSSION

1. Which location had the highest number of particulates present? Describe the sampling
location. What factors may have influenced the number of particulates present?

2. Was there a significant increase in the number of particulates when the particulate
collector was subjected under the magnifying glass? What does this imply?

Chem 113E Laboratory | Gonzaga

3. From your results, what are the major anthropogenic (due to human activity) causes of
particulate pollution?

4. Based on your results, how do you assess the air quality of your sampling location?

5. How do you think seasonal climatic variations or weather conditions might influence
your results?

DOCUMENTATION

Chem 113E Laboratory | Gonzaga