Understanding Particulate Matter Sensors

If you've ever spent time in a big city, you've probably noticed hazy skies, but you may not have realized the cause behind it. This increasingly common haziness is the result of particulate matter (PM) pollution, which is made up of tiny particles of dust, smoke, and other contaminants.

PM isn't just a concern while you're outside. It also exists in indoor spaces and can create serious and long-lasting health effects. Addressing particulate matter pollution is a vital step to improve indoor air quality and protect the health of building occupants.

What Is Particulate Matter?

As the Environmental Protection Agency explains, particulate matter is a combination of liquid droplets and solid particles in the air. It's present in both indoor and outdoor areas and has a significant impact on human and environmental health.

Types of Particulate Matter

When you look at a hazy sky, you're witnessing high concentrations of certain types of PM. Some forms are easy to see, such as:

• Dust
• Dirt
• Smoke
• Soot

However, other kinds are so small that they're invisible to the naked eye. As a result, a room that seems to have perfectly clear air could contain high quantities of particulate matter.

Sources of Indoor Particulate Matter

Indoor particulate matter can develop due to natural causes or human activities. For example, people often carry in outdoor soil, pollen, and dust when they enter a building, unknowingly elevating indoor PM levels.

Other sources of indoor particulate matter include:

• Mold growth
• Cooking
• Burning candles
• Printers
• Cleaning

Although these are frequent causes of particulate matter accumulation, the solution to reducing it isn't to forbid everyone from cooking or burning candles indoors. Rather, it's to properly monitor particulate matter levels and ensure that there are proper ventilation and filtration systems in place.

Health Effects of Inhaling Particulate Matter

When particulate matter levels are high, people are likely to inhale substantial quantities, potentially causing serious health problems. Studies have found that indoor particulate matter can result in relatively minor issues, such as irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat. However, it can also lead to severe health complications, including heart disease and asthma.

The Need for Particulate Matter Sensors

Particulate matter sensors measure the amount of particles that are present in the air. This information empowers you to better protect the people who live or work in a building. It’s also essential to gather data on particulate matter in order to ensure compliance with local regulatory requirements. Especially in California and New York, building requirements for particulate matter levels can be stringent — and strictly enforced.

When you know that the amount of particulate matter has exceeded safe levels, you can take steps to reduce it. For example, you might add or replace filtration products or find new sources of ventilation to draw in more fresh air. These steps can curb the negative impacts on public health, such as respiratory or cardiovascular distress.

Addressing indoor and outdoor particulate matter is also crucial for natural ecosystems. In addition to polluting the air, it can affect soil and water quality and limit plant growth. Greater awareness of the presence of PM is beneficial not just to the occupants of a single building but to the planet as a whole.

What Are Particulate Matter Sensors and How Do They Work?

Particulate matter sensors are devices that detect, count, and report the amount of particles in the surrounding air. 

Particulate Matter sensors have an infrared or laser light source that shines into a detection chamber. Depending on the design, it may also feature a pump or fan that pulls nearby air into the sensor.

When polluted air enters, the light hits the particles. A detector within the sensor records the number of interruptions to the light source and uses that data to generate an electrical signal and calculate the particulate matter concentration.

Infrared or laser detectors such as these are used widely because they're accurate and compact. They're small enough to place in air conditioners, air quality monitors, air purifiers, and ducts. Larger and more sophisticated PM detectors, such as beta attenuation mass monitoring, aren't currently used in most commercial or residential applications.

Our new Veris Particulate Matter Sensors use light scattering method to determine how much PM is present. They feature innovative contamination resistance technology to perform highly accurate and reliable particulate matter measurements. We now offer them for duct mount and outdoor applications. 

Benefits of Using Particulate Matter Sensors

As people have become more aware of the dangers of particulate matter pollution, the use of particulate matter sensors has grown significantly. The advantages of installing these sensors include:

• Real-time monitoring capabilities: As long as air continues to flow through the sensor, it will constantly gather information about the concentration of PM and provide updates when levels get too high.

• Early pollution detection: Particulate matter sensors make it easier to identify pollution before it worsens so you can take immediate steps to reduce it.

• Enhanced air quality: Indoor air quality has direct ties to the satisfaction and productivity of building occupants, and particulate matter sensors are key to ensuring that the air is clean and safe to breathe.

These benefits all contribute to several other overarching goals for building owners and business leaders. By optimizing the indoor air quality, you can improve employee health and reduce the number and frequency of worker absences. Better duct air quality also leads to greater operational efficiency.

Additionally, using particulate matter sensors helps you meet indoor air quality standards. Set by regulatory and environmental agencies, these standards and guidelines describe the allowable amount of PM for indoor spaces.

Minimize Particulate Matter With Veris Sensors

Although people often can't see it, particulate matter is a very real threat to the environment and public health. Keeping particulate matter levels low should be a priority for anyone who designs, owns, manages, or maintains indoor spaces.

To aid in that effort, Veris now offers a variety of air quality sensors that can detect particulate matter. 

Veris now offers duct and outdoor mounted Particulate Matter Sensors that feature innovative contamination resistance technology for high accuracy performance and reliable measurements. Both Veris sensors provide a versatile solution allowing you to measure different particulate matter types (PM 1.0, PM 2.5, PM 4.0 and PM10). 

• Accurate: Innovative contamination resistance technology for highly accurate measurement of particulate matter

• Reliable: 10-year expected lifetime with laser based light scattering particle sensing

• Easy to install: Lock on sensor cover and screwless terminal block wiring

• Versatile: Selectable PM measurement options and outputs (4 to 20 mA, 0 to 5 Vdc, 0 to 10 Vdc)

Check out the new Particulate Matter Sensors here. 

For a multi sensor solution, our new CD2 series also offers particulate matter sensing along with other potential air quality issues, including CO2, humidity, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Check out our CD2 sensors here.

Contact Veris to explore our full line of products and learn how a particulate matter sensor can contribute to better safety and comfort in your building.