HCDOES Staff Lend Expertise to Cincinnati State

The Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services’ (HCDOES) staff offers a wide range of knowledge and expertise for the Air Pollution Control course given at Cincinnati State. Staff assists with course instruction on multiple facets of this topic, giving students a more “hands-on” perspective to air quality topics. While enhancing the experience and education for the Cincinnati State students, HCDOES staff also gets the opportunity for outreach in the community. Below are some of the topics HCDOES staff covers:

• Smoke School – A brief outline of the science behind reading smoke plume is given, as well as the history and method requirements.

• Pollen/Mold – Students hear an explanation of how the roto-rod sampler works and how counts are taken. There are also rods available for the students to look at to identify different pollen and mold species.

• Particulate Monitoring – Details are given on how HCDOES particulate monitors work – for both the continuous and the reference monitors, which run 1 day out of every 3, 6 or 12. Students receive “hands on” experience performing flow verifications as well as sample collection procedures.

• Permitting – Students walk through an overview of why permits are needed, what types of permits exist and the reasons for the different types of permits.

• Gaseous Sampling – Students take a closer look at the continuous monitoring network and special canister monitoring, which HCDOES is responsible for. Students also complete one point quality checks and flow verifications to gain perspective on the daily tasks preformed by HCDOES staff.

• AP 42 Emission Factors and Stack Testing – Students examine the set-up of the Method 5 sampling train, the purpose of testing and general calculations. AP 42 emission factors, their sources and the different ratings which apply to each, are also discussed.

To find out more about the Air Pollution Control course offered at Cincinnati State, visit www.cincinnatistate.edu.