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Air Quality, Energy & Sustainability

Division of Air Quality — Air Monitoring

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GLOSSARY OF ABBREVIATIONS & TERMS * highlight indicates a criteria pollutant

Air Quality Index (AQI)

a national rating system for reporting daily air quality to the public based on National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)

Air toxics

– air pollutants that may cause adverse health effects in humans, but do not have a National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)

Ambient air

– air in outdoor areas that are accessible to the general public

AQS

– Air Quality System, USEPA’s database for air quality data nationwide

BAM

– NJDEP Bureau of Air Monitoring

CAMNET

– a network of real-time cameras established to raise public awareness of the effects of air pollution on visibility.

Canister

– a stainless steel container used for collecting an air sample to be analyzed in a lab.

CFR

– Code of Federal Regulations

CO

– Carbon monoxide, a criteria pollutant

Continuous monitor

– an instrument that collects data around the clock, throughout the year, and transmits the data to a central data acquisition system every minute or hour.

Criteria pollutant

– an air pollutant for which a National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) has been set (ozone, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide & lead).

Design value (DV)

- a pollutant-specific statistical calculation applied to air monitoring data that determines whether a National Ambient Air Quality Standards is being met.

Fine particles
See

PM2.5

Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAP)

– an “air toxic” pollutant that is listed in the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments and is subject to emissions limits for specific source types.

Inhalable particles

See PM10

Manual sampler

– an instrument that collects an air sample over a specific time period on a filter, adsorbent cartridge or canister, which is then manually retrieved for analysis.

NAAQS

– National Ambient Air Quality Standard; for specific air pollutants, a concentration allowable in ambient air.

NJDEP

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

NO

– Nitric oxide

NO2

– Nitrogen dioxide, a criteria pollutant

NOx

Oxides of nitrogen

NOy

Total reactive oxides of nitrogen

O3

– Ozone, a criteria pollutant

Ozone precursors

– a group of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that affect ozone formation and destruction in the atmosphere; also called PAMS pollutants.

PAMS

- Photochemical Assessment Monitoring Stations program, which measures ozone precursors

Particulate matter

– a complex mix of liquid and/or solid particles in the atmosphere

Pb

– Lead, a criteria pollutant and a HAP

PM2.5

– Fine particles, 2.5 micrometers in aerodynamic diameter or smaller; a criteria pollutant

PM10

– Inhalable particles, 10 micrometers in aerodynamic diameter or smaller; a criteria pollutant

PM2.5 - Speciation

Speciation – a group of elements, ionic compounds and carbon compounds that are analyzed from fine particles.

ppm

– parts per million, concentration measurement usually used for gaseous pollutants

Real-time

– a system in which data is collected and (almost) immediately presented, usually every hour.

SO2

– Sulfur dioxide, a criteria pollutant

USEPA

- United States Environmental Protection Agency

VOC

– Volatile organic compound, a carbon-based chemical compound that is normally gaseous

µg/m3

- micrograms per cubic meter, concentration measurement usually used for particulate matter

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