Measures of pollutant concentration
When we talk about pollution, we're actually talking about things that are harmful to our environment or our health. These things can be all around us, and sometimes we need to measure how much of them there are to make sure we're safe.
One way to do this is by measuring the concentration of pollutants. This is kind of like counting the number of bad things in a certain amount of air or water. There are different ways to do this, but some of the most common are:
- Parts per million (PPM): This is a way of measuring how many of something there are in a million parts of something else. For example, if we were measuring the concentration of carbon monoxide in the air, we might say that there are 5 parts per million (PPM) of carbon monoxide. This means that out of every million molecules of air, 5 of them are carbon monoxide.
- Parts per billion (PPB): This is similar to PPM, but we're measuring how many of something there are in a billion parts of something else. So if we were measuring the concentration of lead in water, we might say that there are 10 parts per billion (PPB) of lead. This means that out of every billion molecules of water, 10 of them are lead.
These measurements can help us understand how much of a pollutant is in a particular area, and whether or not it's safe for us to breathe the air or drink the water. If we find that there are too many parts per million or parts per billion of a certain pollutant, we might need to take action to clean it up or reduce the amount we're producing.
One way to do this is by measuring the concentration of pollutants. This is kind of like counting the number of bad things in a certain amount of air or water. There are different ways to do this, but some of the most common are:
- Parts per million (PPM): This is a way of measuring how many of something there are in a million parts of something else. For example, if we were measuring the concentration of carbon monoxide in the air, we might say that there are 5 parts per million (PPM) of carbon monoxide. This means that out of every million molecules of air, 5 of them are carbon monoxide.
- Parts per billion (PPB): This is similar to PPM, but we're measuring how many of something there are in a billion parts of something else. So if we were measuring the concentration of lead in water, we might say that there are 10 parts per billion (PPB) of lead. This means that out of every billion molecules of water, 10 of them are lead.
These measurements can help us understand how much of a pollutant is in a particular area, and whether or not it's safe for us to breathe the air or drink the water. If we find that there are too many parts per million or parts per billion of a certain pollutant, we might need to take action to clean it up or reduce the amount we're producing.