Air Pollution Assessment
This experiment will give you a pretty good idea of how much solid matter there is in the air that
you breathe every day as you roughly measure the air at your own home.
To do this you will need:
1 coffee filter
about a tablespoon of Vaseline or other petroleum jelly
a hole puncher
string or dental floss
Directions:
Step 1: Take the coffee filter and punch a hole in it, about 1/2 inch from one of the edges (it
doesn't really matter where).
Step 2: Now comes the fun part. Take Vaseline or a petroleum jelly product and smear a layer all
over both sides of the coffee filter so that it is almost entirely covered. This will be pretty messy,
but enjoy it!
Step 3: Take a piece of string or fishing wire about a meter long and tie one end of the string through
the hole. This greasy circle of paper on the end of a string will be your particle trap.
Step 4: At this point, tie the filter up somewhere outside where it can hang without being blown
into the side of a building or a tree. It doesn't matter where the filter hangs, as long as it is
outside. If you want to hang the filter out of a window, you can do that, but be careful not to get
Vaseline on your building or the glass. You also may want to tie the bottom of the filter to keep
it from being blown around in the wind. The best place, if you can access it, is to tie it to a tree
branch that sticks out from the trunk of a tree a few feet, since it is not likely to blow against the
trunk.
The place that you choose must be relatively safe, since this filter will have to stay outside for
four weeks, so don't hang it somewhere where it is going to get taken or thrown away.
This apparatus that you've created is a rough but very effective air pollution gauge that will
measure the presence of particulate matter in the air.
For some background on particulate matter, take a look at this EPA website.
Lab - Part 1
Make several observations about the fresh coffee filter at the start of the experiment. Since there hasn't been any air pollution exposure yet, you can use this "untouched" filter as your control group. Make notes about what it looks like, including its:
color, sheen, texture, so that you'll have something to compare your results to.
Be sure to note the date and the time in your observations. Please take one or several pictures of the coffee filter now and save it for comparison later. You also should make a hypothesis at this stage about what you expect to see on your coffee filter at the end of four weeks. Save your observations and your hypothesis to be handed in four weeks from now.
Hypothesis:
Throughout the 4 weeks of this experiment, I will gather information on the coffee filter hanging on the enclosed patio. Out of all the possible situations; I chose this one:
• Coffee Filter will gather smell and yellow tint from tobacco smoke
Day 1 - Sunday June 6, 2010 - 1:04pm I am using a standard white coffee filter for this lab. There are no smells, marks, or tears on the filter. After putting the vaseline on the filter it became flatten, smooth, sticky and very shiny. The coffee filter has ridges on the edges. Even with the vaseline there is no smell to the filter. I hung up the coffee filter in the back enclosed patio for observation. I chose the back patio because it is one of the most frequented spot in the house; besides the kitchen. This outdoor patio is also the only smoking area. The weather today so far has been hot and humid.
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Lab - Part 2
(Weeks 2, 3, 4) After one week, go back out and make new observations, taking special note of any changes you observe since the last time you looked at the filter. Repeat this task every week for four weeks. If you can, keep taking digital pictures as the weeks go by, being sure to save these for your write-up.
Week #1: June 16, 2010 5:46pm White None Smooth - see thru Good, Still flat looks like when I first put it up
I just went outside to check on the filter. It still looks good. There is no noticeable change in color, texture or smell. After the weekend I thought there would be changes. The weather has been very hot.
Week #2: June 24, 2010 6:47pm White with black residue on edge. No Smell - Gritty Feel - Filter is still folded.
I have started to see a noticeable change in the filter. It is droopy; unlike last week. There is no smell to it, but I have noticed a black residue around the edge. The surface doesn’t look smooth it is more gritty.
Week #3: July 1, 2010 6:28pm White with black reside on edges. No Smell - Gritty Feel - Filter is still folded
The filter is now droopier than before. It has folded onto itself. The edges are getting blacker.
Week #4: July 4, 2010 5:16pm Off white. Black edges, brown/yellow surface color, with black particles on it. No Smell - Gritty Feel - Filter is still folded
I went to look at the filter today and there is a huge change in these past couple of days. The filter is still folded. Besides the black residue around the rim, I am seeing a discoloration on the filter surface which is sticky and gritty. There are also some particles attached to the filter; which are not flies or any type of bug.
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Lab - Part 3
(Week 4) At the end of four weeks, collect all of your observations into a Microsoft Word table. Review your original hypothesis from Week 1 and assess whether or not what you thought was going to take place actually happened, keeping in mind that your grade on this assignment will not be based on whether or not you were correct. What might be on your filter? Where might it have come from? What do you think this indicates about the level of particulate matter in the air in your neighborhood? Are there other pollutants that might be on the filter? What does this imply might be happening in your lungs?
Conclusion:
After four weeks of observing the filter, my hypothesis was not far off. I observed the filter’s edges slowly turn black. It’s exposure to tobacco smoke might be to blame. I also live close to the Orlando International Airport – airplanes fly above my house multiple times during the day. I am pretty sure there is some residue in the air that comes from the exhaust fumes of the jet engine. The biggest change happened between the 1st and 4th of July. I noticed more black residue on the outer rim than before, as well as a discoloration on the surface, and attached particles to the filter. I think that the dramatic changes that occurred during this period are partly due to weather and my unhealthy habits. I usually open the door of the back patio when I am relaxing and smoking to let the space air out. During those days there was rain mostly throughout the day and I kept the door closed. I think that the incubation of tobacco smoke in the back patio accelerated the accumulation of pollution on the filter. If my lungs are reacting to the smoke like the filter is they are shriveled, weak, with an odd texture and black build up.
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Lab - Part 4
(Week 4) Lab Assignment 4: Remove your filter and press it between two sheets of clear plastic wrap so that you can pick it up without getting your hands greasy. Show your filter to at least three other people and discuss the experiment with them. Then, using your observations, plus pictures and the responses of the other people with whom you have spoken, write a letter to a local or state governmental representative (one who is elected from your district—you will have to find out who this person is). The letter should explain the experiment and then give lots of details about what you observed, what you think might be causing it, and what you think can be done about it. Include this letter with the write-up for this assignment, and mail the other copy to your congressperson.
I discussed my project and findings with three people. I took the filter down and put it inside a zip lock bag for up close inspection. I put the filter against a blank piece of paper to show the difference in color.
#1 Brother:
He thinks it is a combination of the smoke and naturally occurring pollution. He doesn’t think the airplanes have a huge effect.
#2 Boyfriend:
He believes this has a lot to do with living near an airport. He thinks that smoking could have some effect. Both are a good possibility.
#3 Mother:
My mother thinks that the main culprit for the filter having a yellow discoloration is due to my cigarette habit. She hopes this experiment will curb it.
This is his responce - I'm so excited:
