Bioaerosols in outdoor air primarily refer to mold spores, bacteria, and endotoxins. These bioaerosols can be emitted especially from livestock operations and waste management facilities. Müller-BBM Industry Solutions GmbH offers the measurement of bioaerosols in the vicinity of planned or existing facilities in accordance with standardized procedures. We place great emphasis on measurement planning to define a meaningful and targeted scope of measurement.

Your benefits:

• Measurements near facilities emitting bioaerosols: We conduct source-proximate measurements or windward/leeward measurements that allow conclusions about the emissions of the respective facility and determine whether there is an increased environmental burden.
• Background exposure measurements: We perform immission measurements in areas of planned sensitive developments to assess whether elevated bioaerosol immissions may occur.

Outdoor air quality is assessed in the European Union using standardized methods and criteria. The 39th Federal Immission Control Ordinance (39. BImSchV) is Germany’s national implementation of various EU directives. It includes components to be measured, their assessment values, applicable guidelines, and specifications regarding the location, duration, type, and scope of measurements. We conduct immission measurements for all components listed in the ordinance.

Your benefits:

• Comprehensive service / broad spectrum: Thanks to our extensive accreditation, we offer a unique range of services in the field of outdoor air measurements.
• Acceptance and trust: Through long-standing cooperation with state and federal authorities, Müller-BBM is a trusted partner with high nationwide acceptance in the field of outdoor air monitoring.
• Years of experience with public contracts: Müller-BBM has been conducting outdoor air measurements on behalf of state authorities for many years and supports them in implementing the 39th Federal Immission Control Ordinance.

Müller-BBM Industry Solutions GmbH offers comprehensive immission measurements to assess odours in the vicinity of planned or existing facilities. Our methods—such as grid measurements and static or dynamic plume inspections—provide precise insights into the frequency, intensity, and hedonic impact of odour emissions.

Your Benefits:

• Acceptance Measurements: Execution of grid or plume measurements to verify compliance with conditions in approval notices or immission values according to TA Luft Annex 7.
• Assessment of Existing Odour Load: Grid inspections allow us to determine the current odour exposure around facilities, evaluate it in terms of immission regulations, and identify development potential for commercial, industrial, or residential use.
• Validation of Dispersion Models: Grid and plume measurements enable analysis of emission and dispersion behaviour of sources and validation of dispersion models, resulting in reliable forecasts.
• Hedonic Classification: Immission inspections allow us to assess the hedonic impact of odours and determine whether they are perceived as clearly pleasant—an advantage in facility approval and planning.
• Source Strength Determination: Plume measurements combined with dispersion calculations allow us to determine the source strength of emission sources that are not easily measurable using conventional methods due to their size or geometry. Additionally, plume measurements help identify the emission components that are effective on the immission side.
• Local Presence: With experienced inspection teams at various locations and a specialized team of technicians and consultants, we offer our services nationwide.
• Understanding Odour Immissions: Müller-BBM prepares detailed expert reports based on comprehensive analyses and evaluations. These reports help you precisely understand the impact of odour immissions on the environment and local residents.
• Legal Certainty: Müller-BBM’s expert reports ensure compliance with all relevant legal and environmental regulations. This minimizes legal risks and supports smooth project approvals.

Beyond the requirements of the 39th BImSchV (Federal Immission Control Ordinance), municipal monitoring networks for traffic-related air pollutants are designed and operated as part of air quality management planning. During the planning of these networks, preliminary dispersion calculations can be used to determine localized pollution levels. Based on these distributions, a customized monitoring network can be developed, tailored to the specific objectives. Operating these municipal networks serves to monitor air quality plans and inform local residents about their air quality.

Your Benefits

• Interdisciplinary Approach: By combining dispersion modeling and pollutant measurements, potentially high-exposure areas can be identified in advance, allowing targeted monitoring at those locations.
• Public Participation through Local and Wide-Area Monitoring: Müller-BBM Industry Solutions has extensive experience in conducting air quality measurements with citizen involvement. Local and wide-area monitoring campaigns can be adapted to address specific community concerns.
• Quality Assurance / Equivalence Proofs for Cost-Effective Measurement Methods: For monitoring traffic-related emissions, cost-effective methods such as NO₂ passive samplers are used in wide-area screenings. Through comprehensive quality assurance procedures, equivalence with EU reference methods can be ensured even for these low-cost techniques.

The assessment of the meteorological situation plays a crucial role in evaluating emissions. Therefore, Müller-BBM Industry Solutions GmbH conducts a wide range of accompanying meteorological measurements in addition to air pollutant monitoring. These range from compact wind and weather measurements to the detection of turbulence, which allows for the determination of dispersion conditions for air pollutants.

Meteorological measurements enable source analyses during continuous air pollutant monitoring. Furthermore, the meteorological data can be used for future emission dispersion calculations.

Your Benefits:

• Source Analyses: High-resolution meteorological measurements combined with continuous emission monitoring or odor inspections allow for the localization of sources responsible for increased emission levels.
• Determination of Long-Term Meteorological Time Series in Industrial Environments: By collecting long-term meteorological time series, complex orographic site conditions can be individually analyzed based on their meteorological characteristics.
• Interdisciplinary Processing of Measurement Data: Our meteorologist can not only conduct measurements but also use prognostic wind fields to represent topographically challenging terrain. Additionally, the individually collected wind data can be subjected to a transferability check according to VDI 3783 Part 20. This ensures valid input data for our emission forecasts.

In addition to the formally required measurements, such as those conducted under TA Luft or the 39th BImSchV, there are many occasions to assess air quality on an individual basis. From source attribution analyses (e.g., resident dialogue, transparency) to the testing of new measurement methods, Müller-BBM Industry Solutions is available as your project partner. In this context, we continuously expand our range of measurement parameters and service portfolio.

Your benefits:

• Neutral results for controversial air hygiene issues: In the context of complex and controversial air hygiene questions, our customized special measurement concepts can deliver neutral and transparent results. These can be presented and used individually in public dialogue formats.
• Operational optimization: For emission-relevant operational processes, our customized, source-proximate measurements and their results can be used to optimize operations.
• Experience with controversial topics: With decades of experience in air pollution control, we are well-versed in handling complex air hygiene issues. Our expertise and tailored measurement concepts help bring transparency to these discussions.

Typical components include: Particles PM10 and PM2.5, heavy metals and benzo(a)pyrene as part of the PM10 and PM2.5 fractions; nitrogen monoxide and dioxide (NO and NO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O₃), benzene and other volatile organic compounds, mercury, dustfall and heavy metals as part of the dustfall, as well as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons including benzo(a)pyrene as a key substance, and dioxins, furans, and polychlorinated biphenyls, measured in terms of concentration and deposition.

Measurements are typically carried out over periods of 6 to 12 months at multiple sampling points to meet the temporal and spatial requirements of legal regulations and to obtain valid results.

Your benefits:

• Efficiency and legal certainty: Professional measurement planning is essential for acting efficiently and in compliance with regulations during public approval procedures. All immission measurements are individually planned and carried out in close coordination with planners, experts, and permitting authorities.
• Working hand in hand: Results from immission forecasts, which serve as the basis for conducting immission measurements, are provided by our experts at Müller-BBM. Our interdisciplinary team works together in an agile manner, ensuring timely delivery and project success.
• Experience and proximity: With 11 locations across Germany, we ensure short distances, fast response times, and cost-effectiveness. Rely on our expertise gained from over 30 years of experience in outdoor air measurements.