The AMS Lab's primary activity is to monitor the City's ambient air for pollutants which are compared to Federal, State, and City standards. Toxics, comprised of metals, including lead, organics collected in canisters and carbonyls, including formaldehyde are collected at five locations throughout the City and analyzed at the AMS lab. The AMS Lab is the Regional Lab for carbonyl analysis. Particulates, in two primary size fractions, PM10 and PM2.5, are collected at eight sites throughout the city and weighed at the AMS Lab. At two of those sites, speciated PM2.5 samples are collected and shipped to an EPA contracted lab for analysis. Gaseous pollutants, including carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and nitrous oxide are continuously monitored at four sites throughout the City with minute by minute data transferred over phone lines to a central computer at the AMS Lab. Additionally, the AMS Lab analyzes samples of paints, coatings, and inks for organic content for all of EPA Region III, measures pH levels in rain and snow collected at the AMS Lab, measures sulfur content of fuel oil samples collected from sources within the City, and measures photo reactive organics in samples collected at the AMS Lab. All data is retained at the AMS Lab and is also reported to a National database maintained by the Federal EPA. The AMS Lab has one of the earliest and most extensive air quality databases in the nation and has participated in numerous studies to evaluate monitors, samplers, and methods of collection and analysis of air pollutants. Ambient air quality is reported to a national database and locally to the media through the Clean Air Council.
Click the monitoring site link in the box to the right to view more detailed information about each site including pictures and pollutants measured.
Click here to view the Final 2008/2009 Air Monitoring Network Plan for Philadelphia. This plan will be submitted to EPA on July 1, 2008, and describes the network of air monitoring stations in Philadelphia. We are interested in receiving comments on the plan at any time. 
The Air Quality Index (AQI) tells you how clean the air is and whether it will affect your health. Click here for Philadelphia air quality conditions.
To obtain daily air quality index information for the metropolitan Philadelphia region,
contact the Clean Air Council at: 215-567-4004
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