table of contents and parent ###Introduction A passive particle monitor measures particles without the use of mechanical or electrical systems, depending instead on natural wind-blown deposition of particles on a collection surface. Passive particle monitoring is frequently used for qualitative "nuisance dust" measurements, and more recently to extrapolate [airborne PM concentrations](/wiki/air/particulatematter) and the direction dust comes from. Passive monitoring promises to be less expensive and more robust than active monitors' mechanical and electrical components, but comes with a different set of challenges. Public Lab is investigating one [promising passive monitor](???) as a tool for measuring airborne PM concentrations. ###Advantages and Disadvantages **Advantages** | **Disadvantages** --------------------|--------------------- low cost | deployed for 3-7 days, low temporal resolution deployed without electricity | not real-time (results must be analyzed after collection) simple setup and calibration | analysis can be expensive actual particles are collected | particle speciation is limited & hard to extrapolate to airborne concentrations of speciated particles ###Devices