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​​​​Air Quality with Joseph Musa​​​

​​​Joseph Musa, P.E., is an Environmental Engineer in the Division of Environmental Protection (DEP) and serves as the subject matter expert on issues related to air quality regulations for the NIH Bethesda Campus. He has dual master’s degrees in Water Resources and Environmental Engineering and has had a plethora of international experience in these sectors. Upon joining the NIH, Joseph’s focus shifted to air quality, and since 2012, he has been the NIH Bethesda Campus Air Emissions Program Coordinator.

“Though at times it is challenging,” he admits, “I do enjoy it.”

A typical day in the office is rather busy for Joseph, as it encompasses juggling several different responsibilities. The core tenet of his job is ensuring the NIH Bethesda campus maintains compliance per mandates of the Title V Part 70 Operating Permit. This list of state-enforced regulations sets limitations on the amount of certain emissions the campus is allowed to produce. This typically has to do with nitrogen and sulfur oxides (NOx and SOx, respectively).

The NIH Bethesda campus has many different sources of air emissions to track and manage, from the five boilers and twelve chillers at the NIH Central Utility Plant (CUP), to its accompanying 23 MW Cogeneration system, which supplies heating, cooling and electricity. There are also emergency generators, incinerators, government vehicles, ethylene oxide sterilizers and a host of other emissions sources with their own unique quantities. Joseph is responsible for keeping track of these emissions, as well as dealing with emergency situations, maintaining contact with the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and conducting regulatory reviews and inspections of NIH operations and construction.

“My goal at NIH was to be more involved in the air emissions activities,” he states, “to contribute to the objectives and reduction of air pollution problems, not only at NIH, but also in the surrounding area.”

For the past decade he has done just that, ensuring the NIH Bethesda campus stays under its NOx limits of 81.7 tons per year for the five boilers and 55.6 tons per year for the Cogeneration unit.

“Also,” he says with a smile, “the air emissions program involves a lot of calculations… and I like doing calculations.”

The calculations in question are necessary for the quarterly, semi-annual and annual reports required by MDE and the EPA. The annual report in particular is especially daunting, as it requires precise quantities of all pollutants and can take up to four consecutive months of performing calculations! He is grateful to his wife, daughter and colleagues both in and out of DEP for their continual support.

Joseph believes that the NIH is currently in a good place with air quality. In the future, he hopes that there can be a stronger culture around air pollution awareness. By decreasing the use of fossil fuels, either through alternative energy and electric cars or reduced usage (switching off lights, fans, heat, etc.), he believes that the air pollution the campus produces could decrease. However, he believes that the most important aspect to future improvement is supplying others with knowledge.

“Educating people will go a long way and will contribute to reducing the health problems associated with [our] operations.”

For the full transcript of the interview, please click the link here.

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NEMS Training                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Did you know? Approximately 20 PM2.5 particles side-by-side are equal width as a human hair. These tiny particles travel deep into the lungs and can cause severe health effects. To learn more about air pollution​​​​, please visit the NEMS Training webpage to view a short (20 minute) NIH environmental awareness training video.