Monitoring Fugitive Dust

The term fugitive dust refers to particulate that is lifted into the air either by man-made or natural activities in large open areas. Fugitive dust is typically the result from activities such as the physical movement of soil, vehicles traveling over unpaved surfaces, heavy equipment operation, blasting, and wind.

This release into the atmosphere does not happen in a controlled manner nor does it necessarily originate from a known source point. While various environmental regulatory groups establish definitions for source of dust and maximum exposure levels, it is difficult to know if your dust control plan is effective. A means of quickly identifying if your site is exceeding the exposure limits is critical to maintaining compliance.