We normally think of air as a mixture of gases such as nitrogen, oxygen, argon, water vapour and carbon dioxide - typically molecules up to a few tenths of a nanometre in size.

The air that we breathe also contains a large number of much bigger objects - dust, pollen, droplets, soot-like particles from exhaust, and inorganic and organic matter that has formed from reactions within the atmosphere.

The larger particles, bigger than a few hundred nanometres, can sometimes be seen as haze or smog. Smaller ones will not be visible, but may still cause health effects, and certainly affect atmospheric processes such as cloud formation.

NPL offers an accurate service for the measurement of particulate matter and its constituents for both ambient air and emissions samples.

For information on our ISO 17025 accredited services, follow the links below:

• Particulate, Metal, Anion and PAH Analysis of Ambient Air
  
  
• Metals Analysis for Airborne Emissions Monitoring
  
  
• Acid Gas Analysis for Airborne Emissions Monitoring

Contact

Customer Service tel: +44 20 8943 8637
E-mail: environmental_enquiries@npl.co.uk