Public Lab Wiki documentation



Bucket Monitor

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The “bucket” is a low-cost, community-friendly air sampler that helps people measure toxic chemicals such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide in their air. Developed in the late 1990s, it was one of the first (if not the very first) do-it-together environmental monitors. Communities living near oil refineries and petrochemical plants gathered to build their own buckets. They established phone trees to make sure that, when noxious fumes enveloped their neighborhood, someone would take a sample.

Twenty years later, buckets continue to be a critical tool for fenceline communities impacted by oil and gas development. They test for chemicals like benzene, hydrogen sulfide, perchloroethylene, and vinyl chloride, as well as other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulfur compounds. Above all, they allow communities to take control of their air. Think a bucket could be the right tool for you? Keep reading!


This toolkit is based on resources generously shared by Communities for a Better Environment and Global Community Monitor and was developed in a collaboration with Fair Tech Collective, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, groundWork, and Citizen Science Community Resources.


Overview: Why this tool?

Empowering people to act on air pollution

Community air monitoring empowers people to act on air pollution. [I]t enables community members to become active participants in the production of scientific knowledge. It provides them with a tool to scientifically verify existing community knowledge based on their experience of industrial pollution while adding a more specific and systematic dimension to that knowledge. It thus demystifies science. - "Purpose of Community Air Monitoring," groundWork 2003 Air Monitoring Report

Addressing the health impacts of petrochemical production

It is nearly impossible to understand what it is like to fall ill and be deathly sick each day when they start fracking and other production activities on your land, until you get sick. It is hard to comprehend the helplessness that you feel when your water has been tainted, your children are having nosebleeds and you are passing out in your home from the fumes, until it happens. These are not fairy tales or horror stories. They are real. - April Lane, quoted in "Warning Signs" by Coming Clean and Global Community Monitor

Learn More:

Mobilizing Action through Community Science

Buckets are one tool we have trusted, it’s one tool we believe in, one tool we will never abandon. It has empowered us, it has empowered the communities that we work with, it has made our city shake, and our industry shake, because of the credible result coming out of using the bucket. - Bongani Mthembu, South Durban Community Environmental Alliance

Learn More:

Getting Started

How to build a bucket monitor

Learn about the materials you will need to build a bucket monitor and where you can find them. We will also take you step-by-step through the building process and ways to troubleshoot your bucket. If crafting is not for you, follow this link to buy a pre-made bucket monitor.

How to take a sample with a bucket monitor

Find out how to use your bucket monitor to get the most accurate and relevant data for you. We will take you through how to pick a location, how to manually take a sample, and how to get the sample ready for lab analysis.

Finding a lab

Once you have your sample, you'll need to send it to a lab for analysis. We'll explain how to find a lab and what to expect from your interaction with them.

How to use your bucket data

Learn how to go from numbers to a persuasive message about the pollution in your community and what to do about it.

Who else is involved?

Bucket successes

Bucket monitoring data has helped communities reduce pollution, get enforcement action, and push for new legislation. Learn more here about others experiences using buckets to make change.

Resources


Activities

Purpose Category Status Author Time Difficulty Replications
Smells that Kill: How to Identify Odours - - @kgradow1 - - 0 replications: Try it »
How to Keep a Pollution Log - - @kgradow1 - - 0 replications: Try it »
How to Build a Bucket Air Monitor - - @kgradow1 - - 1 replications: Try it »
How to Take an Air Quality Sample with a Bucket Monitor - - @A_SCH - - 0 replications: Try it »
Comparing air quality databases: a fun activity - - @bhamster - - 0 replications: Try it »
How to host a community meeting - - @kgradow1 - - 0 replications: Try it »
Compare environmental test results to health standards - - @kgradow1 - - 0 replications: Try it »
How to Set Up a Bucket Brigade - - @kgradow1 - - 0 replications: Try it »
How to Use Your Bucket Data - - @A_SCH - - 0 replications: Try it »
How to read an Environmental Impact Statement - - @kgradow1 - - 0 replications: Try it »
A First Look at Technical Documents - - @kgradow1 - - 0 replications: Try it »
How to read a Permit Application - - @kgradow1 - - 0 replications: Try it »
How to read Environmental Test Results - - @kgradow1 - - 0 replications: Try it »

Activities should include a materials list, costs and a step-by-step guide to construction with photos. Learn what makes a good activity here.

Questions

Title Author Updated Likes Comments
Does keeping a bucket sample cold extend the time you have to get it to a lab for testing? @stevie about 2 years ago 1
Troubleshooting the Bucket Monitor @sarasage over 2 years ago 3
Question about grab samples from the Bucket monitor tool: Which ones do I order? @amocorro almost 3 years ago 3
Where can I get Hilton Kelly bucktes? @Stevenlee over 3 years ago 4
For the Bucket Monitor, how many tedlar bags do you need per-sampling? @mimiss over 3 years ago 2
What diagnostic tools do you use when air sampling? @kgradow1 almost 4 years ago 1
How do you account for wind in an air study? @kgradow1 almost 4 years ago 2
Updated list of EPA TO methods? @kgradow1 almost 4 years ago 1
Do we need instrumentation-grade steel for an air intake valve? @kgradow1 almost 4 years ago 3
Can we add a 2um filter to the bucket monitor to capture particulates? @kgradow1 almost 4 years ago 3
Have you used the bucket air sampler or other grab sample tool? @kgradow1 almost 4 years ago 11
Where do you send air grab samples to for testing? @stevie over 6 years ago 3
Are there groups who are currently, or have recently, used the Bucket for air sampling? @stevie over 6 years ago 0
How do I choose between different types of air canisters for grab sampling? @stevie over 6 years ago 0
When is it better to do grab sampling versus other types of monitoring? @stevie over 6 years ago 2
Where can you purchase a bucket for air grab sampling? @stevie over 6 years ago 5
What methods are available for doing air grab samples for hydrogen sulfide? @stevie over 6 years ago 2


Have you used the bucket?

If you have used buckets in your own work and want to be part of this project, please email Community Technology Fellow Katie Gradowski here. We view this as a living document and are eager to collaborate with past and present users.

Updates

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