Personal exposure monitoring of airborne particulate using a low-cost sensor

摘要

According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2014 and 2016), 3.8 million deaths per year are caused by household air pollution from indoor biomass burning (cooking, heating) and 4.2 million deaths per year are directly attributable to ambient air pollution. National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) have been promulgated in the US since the 1970s in order to protect health. The standards rely on a network of gas-phase (e.g., O3 and SO2) and particulate (PM2.5 and PM10) monitors that are fixed in location. While appropriate for ascertaining whether states are compliant with the NAAQS, fixed monitors do not necessarily adequately capture human exposure to air pollution, which occurs indoors and outdoors. The purpose of this study is to assess personal exposure to indoor and outdoor PM using a low-cost measurement device known as the DustDuino, which consists primarily of a dust sensor (Plantower #3003) that counts particles using an infrared light and photodiode, and an Arduino Uno microcontroller. In addition to measuring particulate exposures in all of the environments in which people spend time, the study also incorporated time-based activity data (trip diaries) and GPS information in order to provide a more complete picture of short-term PM concentrations and exposures. This works suggests that acute exposure to high concentrations of PM2.5 does not cause immediate lung function decline, whereas long-term chronic exposure can lead to respiratory illness. In addition, the concentration of PM2.5 exposure was roughly 50% higher during times of cooking than on the interstate near downtown Atlanta, Georgia.