ERT: Air Monitoring

ERT is EPA’s premier air sampling and air monitoring team. The team's assets are used in all 10 EPA Regions for removal and remedial projects. ERT’s equipment involves real-time sampling instrumentation, as well as sampling media to be analyzed by the team’s dedicated fixed lab, mobile labs or contract laboratories. The real-time data can be collected and used by the Viper Data Management System. This system allows management of multiple instruments across various platforms and allows a user to interpret data in the field. ERT’s resources can be mobilized within hours of an event and can autonomously collect data for hours and even days. Whether a situation calls for an emergency response or a long-term cleanup, ERT’s instrumentation can be on site collecting data/sampling quickly and efficiently.

ERT’s air instrumentation can be used to sample for chlorine, hydrogen sulfide, cyanide, ammonia, phosgene, hydrogen fluoride, volatile organic compounds, benzene, metals, asbestos, particulates and other chemicals of concern at part per billion (ppb) levels. ERT also maintains a large inventory of air sampling pumps, sample media and SUMMA canisters for sampling volatile organic compounds, metals, asbestos, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and other chemicals of concern. Their expertise and guidance has been relied on during many high-profile environmental cleanups, including the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Flood and Hurricane responses as well as the Kilauea Volcano Eruption. ERT’s air systems have been deployed at many Nationally Significant Events (NSE) – Super Bowls, Democratic and Republican national conventions, presidential inaugurations and others – providing real-time consequence management and sampling capabilities.

ERT has also developed "Snapper", a remotely controlled air sampling system which allows personnel to trigger sample collection out of harm's way, or when other conditions are met (odor complaints, chemical sensor exceedance, wind change, etc.).