Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)

What is Nitrogen Dioxide?

Nitrogen Dioxide is emitted from high temperature combustion. This can be seen as the brown haze downwind of cities. Nitrogen dioxide is the chemical compound with the formula NO2. It is one of the several nitrogen oxides. This reddish-brown toxic gas has a characteristic sharp, biting odor. NO2 is one of the most prominent air pollutants. It is present in vehicle exhaust and the fumes from burning fuel oil, kerosene, propane, natural gas or wood. When NO2 is exposed to water, it can form nitric acid, which is a chemical that contributes to acid rain. Nitrogen dioxide is also a major cause of smog.

How can one be exposed to nitrogen dioxide? 

People are exposed to NO2 by breathing in the gas from polluted air. The levels of O2 are usually higher outdoors than indoors. The operation of gas or diesel engines can result in a build up of dangerous levels of NO2 in the air. Most of the nitrogen dioxide in cities comes from motor vehicle exhausts (about 80%).

What are the effects of exposure to nitrogen dioxide?

Breathing low levels of nitrogen dioxide can cause a slight cough, mild fatigue, and nausea. Eye, nose, and throat irritation are also common symptoms. At high concentrations, NO2 can cause severe coughing, choking, headache, nausea, abdominal pain, and shortness of breath. If the exposure is severe, symptoms may continue after the exposure has ended, causing difficulty breathing for weeks.

Individual exposure to NO2 depends mainly on local outdoor concentrations. However, it can also be affected by indoor pollution sources such as tobacco smoking and unvented cooking or heating appliances using gas. Populations living near busy roads are particularly exposed to and affected by NO2 pollution. Studies have shown that short term peak exposures can increase respiratory allergic reactions.

Measurement of nitrogen dioxide

Because high concentrations of nitrogen dioxide can have adverse effects on human health, Governments around the world are taking steps to manage and reduce the amount of nitrogen dioxide produced. These include implementing fuel quality standards, implementing vehicle emission standards, developing alternative fuels and developing pollution forecasting systems. All this depends upon the ability to measure nitrogen dioxide cost effectively. Monitoring air quality in the microenvironment is critical in understanding epidemiological effects, for environmental assessments, for transportation planning, and for making decisions about air pollution mitigation strategies.

Aeroqual is involved in a multitude of Nitrogen Dioxide Sensor applications including:

• Roadside monitoring
• Urban monitoring
• Perimeter monitoring
• Open space monitoring
• Air quality research

Aeroqual Nitrogen Dioxide Sensors

NO2 concentrations can be measured using the Aeroqual’s AQM 60 Air Quality Station. This compact unit is designed for low-cost easy deployment in an air quality monitoring. The AQM 60 station boasts a highly flexible instrument platform configurable to measure common air pollutants including ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitrogen oxides (NOX), carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO2), volatile organic compounds (VOC), hydrogen sulphide (H2S), nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHC), carbon dioxide (CO2), particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5), noise and meteorological parameters such as temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction.