Air Quality Lab

Collaborators
Sarah Roberson, Katie Daeke
Abstract
The problem is what is the ozone and particulate matter in 83% humidity inside and outside?
The hypothesis is if ozone and particulate matter are tested inside and outside on a day with 83%
humidity, then the sample from outside with have a higher ozone level and more particulate matter
than the sample from inside. The control group is the filter paper and the post card that were left in air
tight petri dishes. The experimental groups are the groups that were placed inside or outside. The
independent variable is wherever the filter paper and notecards were placed. The dependent variable is
the ozone level and type of PM collected. One notecard with petroleum jelly on it to catch and measure
particulate matter, and one piece of filter paper treated with potassium iodide to determine ozone were
placed inside and outside. They were left for a day, and then collected. The filter paper was dipped in
water to determine the Schoenbein number. The filter paper that was outside was not in direct sunlight
and the humidity was 83%. The outside filter paper was a 10, and the inside was a 7. The concentration
of particulate matter in the outside notecard was light, and inside was none. This supports the
hypothesis. Ozone causes many respiratory problems and is expected to be 70% worse by the year 2050.
The best way to prevent this is to reduce the amount of activities that result in the emissions of the
components of ozone.
Problem
What is the ozone and particulate matter in 83% humidity inside and outside?
Hypothesis
If ozone and particulate matter are tested inside and outside on a day with 83% humidity, then
the sample from outside with have a higher ozone level and more particulate matter than the sample
from inside.
Parts of the Experiment
The control group is the filter paper and the post card that were left in air tight petri dishes. The
experimental groups are the groups that were placed inside or outside. The independent variable is
wherever the filter paper and notecards were placed. The dependent variable is the ozone level and
type of PM collected.
Materials
Potassium Iodide
Corn starch
Beakers
Spatulas
Large Graduated Cylinder
Test Tube Rack
Filter Paper
Microscope slides
Petroleum Jelly
Q-tips
Microscopes
Methods
1. Place 100ml of water in a 250 ml beaker, and adding 5g of cornstarch. Then heat and stir the
mixture until it gels (when the mixture becomes thick and clear). Remove the solution from
heat, add 1 g of potassium iodide, stir well, and allow to cool. After the solution has cooled,
brush the paste onto one side of two pieces of filter paper.
2. Smear a thin layer of petroleum jelly onto two notecards. Try to make the layers as even as
possible.
3. Place one piece of filter paper inside, and one notecard beside the filter paper.
4. Repeat step 3 outside.
5. Leave them there for a day.
6. The next day, collect the filter paper pieces and notecards.
7. Dunk each strip into distilled water. Use the chart to determine the Schoenbein Number of your
strip.
8. Place the notecard under a microscope and examine the particulate matter and decide the
amount of particulates and then attempt to estimate the source of the PM.
9. Use the relative humidity and the Schoenbein number to calculate the concentration of ground
level ozone using the chart.

Data


PM notecard from inside


Filter paper from inside

PM notecard from outside


Filter paper from outside

Data Analysis
The filter paper that was inside had a Schoenbein number of 7. The filter paper that was
outside had a Schoenbein number of 10. The filter paper that was outside was not in direct
sunlight and the humidity was 83%. The PM notecard that was inside had a particulate matter
concentration of none, except for one piece of sawdust. The PM notecard that was outside had
a particulate matter concentration of light. In it was a speck of dust, a bug leg, and also fibers of
some kind.

Conclusion
The results support the hypothesis. The ozone levels and the particulate matter
concentrations were highest outside as opposed to inside. Ozone levels are the highest in the
summer because that is when the temperature is highest, and there is the most sunlight. Ozone
in the stratosphere is good, but in the troposphere it exacerbates existing respiratory problems,
and can also cause problems for people with good respiratory health. Ozone is a secondary
pollutant that forms from nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, ultraviolet radiation, and
heat. A lot of the pollutants that join together to form ground level ozone come from the
burning of coal and fossil fuels in power plants. a new study revealed that climate change
could worsen summertime ozone levels in the United Stated as much as 70 percent by 2050 as
temperatures warm. Ways to try and prevent this are mostly cutting down on the use of power
sources that cause components of ozone to be emitted into the air. Reducing emissions would
mean ozone levels would range from 27 to 55 ppb 90 percent of the time. This would be a very
good number to get the amount of ozone down to most of the time because the current limit is
75 ppb, and the lower the better in the terms of respiratory health.

1. Wake Forest did not meet the air quality standards on this day. Yes, this was an accurate
measurement of the air quality because this day was sunny, warm, and humid.
2. California is in non-attainment because of all of the heat inversions that take place over
California. The states on the East coast are in non-attainment because there are a lot of
power plants there that provide the components needed to form more ozone.
3. Particulate matter was not added to the requirements of the Clean Air Act until the 1990s
because there had not been enough particulate matter in the atmosphere to build up and
cause a problem like the smog now has in China.
4. The PM samples did meet expectations. There was more particulate matter that came from
outside as opposed to the one that was inside. There were also different particulates in the
outside sample like dirt, a bug leg, and some type of fiber. The only particulate in the indoor
sample was a speck of sawdust probably from the shelf the sample was taped to.
5. Air quality monitoring is important for the health of the economy because plants need air to
live, and if the air quality is poor, so will the plants. And, part of the economy depends on
agriculture, so if agriculture suffers the economy suffers.




Works Cited
"Climate Change Could Create Unhealthy US Ozone Levels by 2050." Nature World News RSS.
N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.