Ambient Air

Quality and
Noise
Monitoring

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❖Ambient Air Quality – the general amount of
pollution present in a broad area; and refers to the
atmosphere’s average purity as distinguished from
discharge measurements taken at the source of
pollution
❖NAAQS – National Ambient Air Quality Standards
❖NAAQGCP – National Ambient Air Quality
Guidelines for Criteria Pollutants
❖NPCC – National Pollution Control Commission
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Where to measure AAQS?
(Rule XXVI, Section 1, DAO 2000-81)

• Sampling shall be done at the location of highest expected

concentration.

• Sampling shall be done at an elevation of at least two (2) meters

above the ground level, and shall be conducted either at the
property line or at a downwind distance of 5 to 20 times the stack
height whichever is more stringent.

• The Bureau may approve the adoption of a different procedure in the

choice of location of the monitoring equipment depending upon the
physical surrounding and other factors in the area where the
sampling is to be conducted.

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 NAAQS/NAAQGCP
Total Suspended Particulates Hydrogen Chloride (HCl)
(TSP)

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S)

Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) Lead (Pb)

Particulate Matter at 10µ (PM10) Phenols (C6H5OH)

[Noise] Formaldehyde (CH2O)

Carbon Disulfide (CS2) Ozone (O3)

Chlorine and Chlorine Compounds Carbon Monoxide (CO)

(Cl2)
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Ammonia (NH3)
 Other Parameters
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Asbestos

Total Volatile Organic Other metals

Compounds (TVOC)

Hydrocarbons

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 TSP, Metals

❖Filtration Method - Ambient air is drawn

through a glass fiber filter over a period of
time. Particles having a diameter of 20-50
µm are collected ordinarily.

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Sampling
Equipment

High-Volume
TSP Sampler
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 PM10

• Filtration Method - Ambient air, with

particle size less than 10µm is entered in a
high volume sampler 10µ inlet by means of
vacuum system. The air passes to venturi
type casing resulting to a flow rate of
approximately 40 cubic feet per minute.

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 Sampling
Equipment

PM10 Head 11

PM10 Sampler
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 Gases

Liquid Absorption Method - A known volume of air is

sampled with a wet-chemical system where a constant
volume of air sample passes through a suitable reagent
(absorbing reagent) that is reactive to the specific
pollutant desired.
As the air sample passes through the bubbler rack, the air
diffuses forming air bubbles and slowly reacts to the
chemical reagent forming a complex ion.

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 Sampling Equipment

Mini pump
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 Noise

The lowest and highest noise levels

monitored are manually recorded. The
multiple sounds reading for a period
of 15 minutes each station is recorded
and summarized by getting its mean.
The result of this gives the equivalent
noise level.
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Sampling Equipment

Noise Level Meter

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 CO, CO2, TVOC

Direct read out analyzers are the equipment that

are used to determine the concentration of CO,
CO2 and TVOC.
The ambient air is drawn using grab sampling
method for at least 10 minutes period per
sampling. At least three trials are performed to
ensure that the results are properly monitored.

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 Sampling Equipment

CO Analyzer CO2 Analyzer

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Sampling Equipment

TVOC Analyzer

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Other Sampling Equipment
Velocity, Temperature, Pressure

Anemometer Barometer 20
 Other Sampling Equipment

Directional Compass GPS 21

 Other Sampling
Equipment/Media

Asbestos Filter Cassette

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 Standard Parameters
ANALYSIS
PARAMETER TEST REFERENCE ANALYSIS METHOD
INSTRUMENT

USEPA 40 CFR part 50

Appendix B
Total Suspended Gravimetric
Analytical Balance
Particulates (TSP) Method
MASA 3rd ed., Method
501

USEPA 40 CFR part 50

Appendix A-2 Ultra Violet – Visible
Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) Pararosaniline Method Spectrophotometer
MASA 3rd ed., Method (UV-Vis)
704A

USEPA 40 CFR part 50

Appendix F Ultra Violet – Visible
Nitrogen Dioxide Griess-Saltzman
Spectrophotometer
(NO2) Method
MASA 3rd ed., Method (UV-Vis)
406
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 Other NAAQS/NAAQGCP Parameters
ANALYSIS
PARAMETER TEST REFERENCE ANALYSIS METHOD
INSTRUMENT

USEPA 40 CFR part 50

Particulate Matter in Appendix J
Gravimetric
10 microns Analytical Balance
Method
(PM10) MASA 3rd ed., Method
501

Neutral Buffer
Photochemical
USEPA 40 CFR part 50 Potassium Iodide Gas Chromatography
Oxidants as Ozone
Method

USEPA 40 CFR part 50

Appendix G Atomic Absorption
Lead (Pb) Flame AAS Spectrophotometer
MASA 3rd ed., Method (AAS)
303A
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 Other NAAQS/NAAQGCP Parameters
ANALYSIS
PARAMETER TEST REFERENCE ANALYSIS METHOD
INSTRUMENT

Ultra Violet – Visible

MASA 3rd ed., Method
Ammonia (NH3) Indophenol Method Spectrophotometer (UV-
401
Vis)

Carbon Disulfide (CS2) NIOSH 1600 Gas Chromatography Gas Chromatography

Chlorine and Chlorine Ultra Violet – Visible

MASA 3rd ed., Method
Compounds expressed Methyl Orange Method Spectrophotometer (UV-
202
as Cl2 Vis)

Ultra Violet – Visible

MASA 3rd ed., Method
Formaldehyde Colorimetric Method Spectrophotometer (UV-
116
Vis)

Hydrogen Chloride 27
NIOSH 7903 Ion Chromatography Ion Chromatography
(HCl)
 Other NAAQS/NAAQGCP Parameters

ANALYSIS
PARAMETER TEST REFERENCE ANALYSIS METHOD
INSTRUMENT

Ultraviolet – Visible Ion

Hydrogen Sulfide MASA 3rd ed., Method
Methylene Blue Method Spectrophotometer (UV-
(H2S) 701
Vis)

MASA 3rd ed., Method

Phenols Gas Chromatography GC-MS
121

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 NAAQS

Pollutants Standards (µg/Ncm) Averaging Time (min)

Nitrogen Dioxide 375 30

260 60
Sulfur Dioxide 470 30
340 60

TSP 300 60

PM10 200 60

Lead 20 30

Phenol 100 30

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 NAAQS

Pollutants Standards (µg/Ncm) Averaging Time (min)

Ammonia 200 30

Carbon Disulfide 30 30

Chlorine and Chlorine 100 5

Compounds as Cl2

Formaldehyde 50 30

Hydrogen Chloride 200 30

Hydrogen Sulfide 100 30

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 Noise (Rules and Regulations of the National Pollution Control Commission
(1978), Section 78, Table 1 – Environmental Quality Standards for Noise in General
Areas)—maximum allowable noise levels in general areas.
Category of Daytime Evening Nighttime Morning
Area 0900H – 1800H 1800H – 2200H 2200H – 0500H 0500H – 0900H

AA 50 45 40 45
A 55 50 45 50
B 65 60 55 60
C 70 65 60 65
D 75 70 65 70
*all units in dB(A)
Legend:
AA – A section or contiguous area which requires quietness
A – Residential Area
B – Commercial Area
C – Light Industrial Area 31

D – Heavy Industrial Area

Footnote:

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“Only after the last tree has been cut down.
Only after the last river has been poisoned.
Only after the last fish has been caught.
Only then will you find that money cannot
be eaten.”

― Cree Indian Prophecy

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