The Manitoba government has purchased a new mobile air-monitoring station that will allow enhanced responsiveness to environmental emergencies and support better air quality across the province.
“The purchase of this equipment aligns with our commitment to ensure the safety and health of all Manitobans and the environment,” said Conservation and Climate Minister Sarah Guillemard. “This is just one more tool at our disposal to monitor air quality and will add important information to our existing network of air-monitoring stations.”
The mobile air-monitoring station can be deployed anywhere with road access to determine and address the nature of suspected air-quality concerns such as forest fires or smoke from stubble burning. It has real-time sampling capabilities to identify potential pollutants such as sulphur dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, particulate matter and ozone. The equipment can collect samples of the pollutants for laboratory analysis. It also allows for capturing quantitative pollutant data, as opposed to qualitative information such as odours, to assess air quality.
Data from this new, mobile monitoring station will provide a snapshot of what is occurring in a community at a given time. The mobile station allows for quick incident response and flexibility that will help to quickly identify potential hazards and mitigate impacts. It will also support regulatory compliance and auditing activities, and increase public confidence in provincial environmental air-monitoring activities.
The mobile air-monitoring station will be ready for deployment later this fall, the minister said.
