Courtesy of Alison Lehnherr-George

From: Alison Lehnherr-George
T1, March 12, 2006

Changing the Filter

In this photo, Luz Padro is changing the filter on an instrument called a Hi Vol. This filter collects PM 2.5, which means it collects particulate matter that is less than 2.5 microns. Luz is interested in particles this size because they are small enough to breathe in and can be very harmful to your health. The filter is white before it is placed in the instrument; however, after twelve hours of collection, the filter has turned a dark grey color. This grey dust that has accumulated on the filter is what we are breathing in when we are down here in Mexico. As you can see, the air is very dirty! Luz stores the filters in the freezer until she returns to Georgia Tech. At her lab there, she will analyze the particulates on the filter.

Air Pollution Affects Plants, Animals, and Environments

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