At TSI Incorporated, particle science is interconnected with environmental detection as well as ambient air monitoring. Ultrafine particles have become a key area in TSI's ambient air monitoring instrumentation and related research as there is growing evidence that ultrafine particles may have a significant impact on air quality and human health. and related research, as there is growing evidence that ultrafine particles can have significant negative impacts on air quality and human health. Researchers around the world can pick and choose from a wide range of environmental monitoring programs that are easy to install and operate;have easy access to data that is easy to reconcile;are capable of long-term monitoring tasks;or work properly without frequent maintenance, but they ultimately rely on TSI particle detection equipment and environmental monitoring programs being used in a variety of outdoor environments to obtain valuable data that will help researchers gain a deeper understanding of the our surroundings. From towering mountains to the Grand Canyon, from the Arctic Circle to major metropolitan centers, our instruments have been a vital part of that important environmental research from more than four decades ago to the present. TSI offers environmental monitoring programs for ambient air and ultrafine particles (UFP) What are ultrafine particles (UFP)? -USEPA definition:ultrafine particles <100 nanometers -Ultrafine particles are often found in large concentrations in the air of cities and towns, but their mass is largely unmeasured -The most common source of ultrafine particles in urban environments is automobile exhaust Ultrafine Particles (UFP) and Mass Measurement -Traditional methods of measuring UFP, such as PM10 and PM2, are based on the mass of the particles. Traditional methods of measurement that focus on mass (e.g. PM10 and PM2.5) are not applicable to ultrafine particles -Coarse (PM10) particles less than 1000x are less in number than ultrafine particles, but account for about 99% of the mass -The mass of a million ultrafine particles (100 nm) is the same as the mass of a single 10 micrometer particle -Why should ultrafine particles be monitored in the environment? -Potential Health Threats:The question of whether ultrafine particles can cause negative health effects is still open, but it is an issue of general concern worldwide. -Increasing exposure to ultrafine particles:There is growing evidence that the frequency of exposure to ultrafine particles is much higher than originally anticipated.

Recent research has shown that the likelihood of exposure to ultrafine particles is higher around highways, airports, tunnels and schools. -Air quality/visibility effects:Ultrafine particles in ignition sources are usually hygroscopic. In condensate with high relative humidity, ultrafine particles absorb much of the moisture and undergo a surge in particle size, increasing the likelihood of light scattering and visibility impacts, and therefore greatly increasing the likelihood of hazardous weather conditions such as smog. TSI's environmental monitoring solutions are trusted by researchers to accurately measure ultrafine particles, among other features.