Air Pollution

Combustion particles pass into the bloodstream after being inhaled into the lung. Our sizing (SEMS) and chemistry (TAP, STAP & PILS) tools reveal key properties of airborne pollutants.

The visibility and health impacts of air pollution particles are still poorly understood. The very smallest particles are thought to pass through the walls of the human respiratory system and into the blood stream, where they can damage the nervous system. Particles smaller than 100 nanometers are difficult to measure since they are too small to be directly detected by light scattering techniques.

Brechtel’s Tricolor Absorption Photometer has been successfully deployed at numerous sites across the state of Texas to measure local sources and long-range transport of air pollution and forest fire aerosols that impacted air quality in neighboring communities.