Blog

In 2025, we created an Air Quality Management Plan for Terronera and Pitarilla. The plan focuses on protecting workers, surrounding communities and local biodiversity by monitoring and managing key air quality parameters, such as PM10 and PM2.5.

The plan is designed to be regularly reviewed throughout the project’s life cycle and updated as the project advances and new monitoring data becomes available.

As part of the plan, last year we invested about $300,000 in air quality monitoring equipment, the BAM-1020 Beta Attenuation Mass Monitor, for Terronera and Pitarrilla to measure ambient concentrations of particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) in real time.

The system automatically records airborne particulate concentrations by drawing ambient air through a filter tape and measuring particle mass using beta ray attenuation, providing accurate and reliable data for dust management and regulatory compliance.

The BAM-1020 is designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a Federal Equivalent Method (FEM) for PM10 and PM2.5 monitoring and is also compliant with European air quality standards, reinforcing the reliability and credibility of the data collected. Its continuous operation, remote monitoring capability and integrated data logging will allow us to identify trends, validate control measures and respond proactively to changes in air quality across the sites. The system will be fully operational in 2026.