The activity was held from June 5 to 7, 2018, at the High Technology Center in San Jose, Costa Rica. The three days’ workshop addressed the metrological capabilities associated with the operation, maintenance, and calibration of air quality monitoring stations.

The air quality in heavily dense cities is a topic of concern to governments due to the growing impact of pollution in the public health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 93000 deaths in low and middle-income countries (LMIC) and 44000 in high income (HI) countries are attributable to ambient air pollution. In addition to the human health factor, pollution also has effects on the environment and the economy. Consequently, governments are putting a lot effort on air pollution monitoring.

The event had the participation of 70 experts from 15 countries of the Region, whom analyzed the issues such as the role of metrology in the operation and management of air quality monitoring systems; calibration and traceability protocols for air quality monitoring systems; instrumentation, CRM, etc. The workshop also included practical examples on how countries with more developed air quality monitoring networks such as Brazil, Mexico and the United States performed quality assurance and compliance of the air quality measurements. The activity generated opportunities for meeting people with common interests and /or complementary knowledge, exchange of best practices in the fields of metrology and air quality.

The activity was organized by the Organization of the American States in cooperation with the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Costa Rican Metrology Laboratory (LACOMET), the National University of Costa Rica (UNA) and the National Metrology Center of Mexico (CENAM) organized this activity.

Participated Countries

Coordination