Aerosol Measurement Degradation in Low-Cost Particle Sensors Using Laboratory Calibration and Field Validation

Details

• Personal Author:
  Collingwood SC ; Handy RG ; Pahler LF ; Peck A ; Ramsay J ; Schaefer C ; Sleeth DK ; Zhang Y
• Description:
  Increasing concern over air pollution has led to the development of low-cost sensors suitable for wide-scale deployment and use by citizen scientists. This project investigated the AirU low-cost particle sensor using two methods: (1) a comparison of pre- and post-deployment calibration equations for 24 devices following use in a field study, and (2) an in-home comparison between 3 AirUs and a reference instrument, the GRIMM 1.109. While differences (and therefore some sensor degradation) were found in the pre- and post-calibration equation comparison, absolute value changes were small and unlikely to affect the quality of results. Comparison tests found that while the AirU did tend to underestimate minimum and overestimate maximum concentrations of particulate matter, approx. 88% of results fell within +/-1 µg/m3 of the GRIMM. While these tests confirm that low-cost sensors such as the AirU do experience some sensor degradation over multiple months of use, they remain a valuable tool for exposure assessment studies. Further work is needed to examine AirU performance in different environments for a comprehensive survey of capability, as well as to determine the source of sensor degradation. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Air Pollution Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety
• Keywords:
  Aerosol Particles Air Pollution Sampling Air Quality Monitoring Author Keywords: Particulate Matter Citizen Science Exposure Assessment Low-cost Sensors Particulates Sensor Degradation Sensors
• ISSN:
  2305-6304
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 8 ; Utah
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  56
• Volume:
  11
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067752
• Citation:
  Toxics 2023 Jan; 11(1):56
• Contact Point Address:
  Rodney G. Handy, Occupational and Environmental Health, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA
• Email:
  rod.handy@hsc.utah.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Performing Organization:
  University of Utah
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Toxics
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8e58ca938fc212e078940bc04f01fe10e30e91d53fdd2b4f8f4cfb6452f22c568fbec3688d9fed85b5526845060f630c21d3fecab0d549d7039c2da0b0b27544
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230013/cdc_230013_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.05 MB ]