ARS | Publication request: Challenges in Air Quality Research: Defining Risks From Agricultural Operations

Submitted to: American Chemical Society National Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: May 1, 2009
Publication Date: August 15, 2009
Citation: Mcconnell, L.L. 2009. Challenges in Air Quality Research: Defining Risks From Agricultural Operations. American Chemical Society National Meeting. Meeting abstract.

Technical Abstract: As agricultural and urban communities have become more intertwined, and the average size of agricultural production operations have increased substantially, issues of air quality have emerged as an area of increasing regulatory pressure for farmers in many countries. While water and soil issues have dominated agricultural research over the last 50 years or more, the science of measuring emission rates and environmental fate of aerosols/fine particulates, odor, volatile organic compounds, inorganic gases such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, green house gases, and pesticides from agricultural operations has increased in importance. Industrial hygiene measurements of these pollutants are much more commonplace, but methodologies for accurate emission-rate measurements under the wide range of agricultural operations with varying climates and topographical settings have not been sufficiently developed. Therefore, regulators and policy-makers are forced to make decisions from a very limited pool of information. A comprehensive approach is required to identify risks associated with agricultural emissions, considering multiple simultaneous emissions from various components of agricultural operations. Emissions are variable in time and space across each agricultural production operations, and each is surrounded by different land use combinations. New tools are required to measure emission and predict the fate of these pollutants. Farmers also need information on how to minimize the risks from these emissions.