How clean is the air near you?
- This task measures dust and dirt and not greenhouse gases
- How much does air cleanliness change with location?
- How long does it take before you can detect dirt from the air?
- How much pollution can you see, and how much is invisible?
Estimated time: can take up to a week before you see a result.
No prior knowledge needed.
Equipment required
- White plastic sheet/container or strong white card
- Scissors and holepunch if using card
- Pencil or pen to label card/plastic
- Petroleum jelly (Vaseline)
- Optional paintbrush
- String or duct tape to hang sensors.
Risks
- Choose locations that are easy for you to access and will not get in the way of, or be disturbed by people
- Take care if using scissors not to cut yourself
- Wash hands after touching petroleum jelly (so you don’t get it on anything else)
- Take care not to damage the surfaces you stick monitors to
Step by step
Watch the video, then follow the instructions.
- Decide where you will place your pollution monitors. Find places where
people won’t touch them, but where you can reach them easily. - Make your monitors from either white/transparent plastic or thick white
card. We used plastic lids from paper cups. If card, take care using
scissors to cut 5 cm squares and add a hole if you plan to hang up using
string. On each monitor write the location. - Smear some petroleum jelly (like Vaseline) using your finger, or a paint
brush, on the labelled side of monitors. - Attach your monitors in location. Sellotape is probably not strong enough
so use string or duct tape. Take care not to damage the surfaces you stick
monitors to. - Check the monitors closely daily. In time you will start to see dark specks.
- After 7-10 days carefully check all monitors for your report below...
Thoughts, tips and information
SI measurement units
- Second (s) for time (day = 86400 seconds)
- Candela (cd) for light intensity to see and describe colour of pollution
- Metre (m) for describing size of particles.
Challenge topics
Climate measurement, measurement science, science observation, pollution
NPL is involved in measuring many types of pollution - including greenhouse gases your monitors cannot show.