South Coast AQMD’s AQ-SPEC program aims at being the testing center for low cost air monitoring sensors to establish performance standards by which sensors are evaluated. The program evaluates sensors in the field, under ambient conditions, and in the laboratory under controlled environmental conditions for sensors measuring criteria pollutants (PM_2.5, PM₁₀, NO₂, ozone, carbon monoxide) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) that include air toxics.
In the field, sensors are tested alongside one or more of South Coast AQMD’s existing air monitoring stations using traditional federal reference or equivalent method instruments to gauge overall performance. Sensors demonstrating acceptable performance in the field are then brought to the AQ-SPEC laboratory for more detailed testing in an environmental chamber under controlled conditions alongside traditional federal reference/equivalent method and/or best available technology instruments.
For VOC sensors, ideally two triplicate sets of VOC sensors from the same production and quality control (QC) batch will be tested simultaneously in the field and laboratory. If only one triplicate can be obtained, the sensors will first be evaluated in the laboratory under known controlled conditions and concentrations of VOC concentrations, and then proceed to field evaluation if they demonstrate acceptable performance to warrant further evaluation efforts.

Evaluations - VOC
Evaluations - Criteria Pollutants