CARLISLE, Pa., May 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A stationary air monitor is now in place near the intersection of Route 81 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike for a year-long study by the Department of Environmental Protection into the level of fine particulate matter in the greater Carlisle area. The monitor will begin gathering data on this busy transportation hub on Wednesday, May 9.
The stationary air monitor is located on private property on Walnut Street in the western end of Carlisle Borough. The site was chosen following sampling with DEP's mobile analytical unit during 2006, which studied carbon monoxide levels at several locations in and around Carlisle.
While the mobile analytical unit does not monitor fine particulate matter, it is capable of sampling pollutants emitted from cars, trucks and other vehicles. Specifically, the levels of carbon monoxide can then be used as an indicator for placement of the stationary particulate monitor by comparing relative concentrations of carbon monoxide taken from several locations at different times of day and under a variety of weather conditions over several weeks.
The stationary air monitoring project will continue for at least one year to study particulate levels during a variety of weather conditions. Results from the monitor will then be compared to results from the existing Cumberland County monitor, located several miles north of Carlisle, as well as other rural and urban monitors around the state. The results will then be shared with the community.
Carlisle, located at the crossroads of Interstate 81 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike, has attracted a concentration of trucking and warehousing facilities along the Route 11 stretch that connects the two limited-access highways. Statistics show nearly 12,000 people work in the trucking, warehousing and supporting industries at more than 160 different locations in Cumberland County.
Because diesel vehicles are one of the sources that emit fine particulate matter, residents requested the study to get air quality readings from a sampling location closer to downtown Carlisle. Fine particulate matter has a diameter one-thirtieth the width of a human hair and can get deep into the lungs and cause significant health problems.
CONTACT: Ron Ruman Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection +1-717-787-1323 +1-717-571-4098
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
