Ambient and personal air monitoring using low-cost sensors to identify elevated air pollution in vulnerable
K Kubis1, J Edwards2, P H Ryan3
1Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Ave, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA; Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 625 N Michigan Ave, 21st Floor, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
Abstract:
In the United States, regulatory air monitoring networks are designed to assess regional air quality but do not capture neighborhood-level variability in pollutant concentrations. Low-cost air monitors may be one approach to address these gaps. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether neighborhood-level and personal monitoring identified increased concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposures in the neighborhood of Lower Price Hill (LPH), Cincinnati, Ohio, compared with regional regulatory monitors. We deployed a network of 12 PurpleAir monitors across LPH from April-June 2022 and calibrated measurements to a nearby U.S. EPA regulatory monitor. PM2.5 concentrations and Air Quality Index (AQI) values measured by the PurpleAir sensors were compared with two EPA monitoring sites. Additionally, three residents conducted 7-day personal monitoring using wearable AirBeam devices. Calibrated PurpleAir data demonstrated significantly increased PM2.5 concentrations at four of the 12 PurpleAir sites and increased AQI at 11 of the 12 PurpleAir sites in LPH compared to EPA regulatory sites. PurpleAir data also found that LPH experienced up to six days where AQI exceeded healthy levels (>50) but the EPA regulatory monitor did not exceed 50. Personal monitoring revealed substantial variability, with two of three participants exceeding the EPA 24-hour outdoor PM2.5 standard (>35 μg/m3) on all study days, indicating exposures not measured by outdoor stationary monitoring. Overall, regulatory monitoring may underestimate neighborhood-level and personal PM2.5 exposures in LPH. Community-based and personal monitoring provides novel insights into localized exposure disparities and may improve risk communication and inform interventions in vulnerable communities.
