Ensights

Natural Sources of Airborne Molecular Contamination When we think about the natural world, we often picture pure, uncontaminated beauty. We don’t think about gas-phase contamination that can affect people, processes, and products. Unfortunately, the natural world – even if it is completely untainted by pollution – still frequently produces chemicals that can have a negative effect on commercial and industrial facilities. Sometimes, airborne molecular contamination (AMC) forms as a result of human-caused pollution – smog in the atmosphere, for example. Other times, there are natural sources of contamination that can affect your people, processes, and products. These include oceans and salt lakes, freshwater lakes and wetlands, and atmospheric interactions. Here’s what to look out for depending on where you work.