The Use of Low-Cost Air Quality Sensors and Sensor Networks for Understanding Air Pollutant Levels and Human Health Impacts

空气污染每年对英国造成的影响相当于约3万人死亡，是一个紧迫的研究领域。该项目利用低成本的便携式传感器网络，以远远超过现有参考仪器的空间和时间分辨率记录空气质量数据。最值得注意的是，正在进行的伦敦呼吸研究将对全市100个传感器进行分析，并提供对重大政策决策的影响的见解，例如新冠肺炎封锁和引入超低排放区(ULEZ)。值得注意的是，该数据集包括对二氧化碳的测量，使排放指数的计算能够修正外部因素的影响，如计量对污染物水平的影响。重要的挑战仍然是完善传感器校准协议和纠正数据伪影，从这项研究中获得的经验将适用于传感器网络的未来实施。除了大规模的户外数据收集，可比技术可以提供更个性化的曝光数据。个人空气质量监测仪记录了个人每天暴露在污染中的情况，以及与他们所在位置和活动水平有关的数据。这些信息导致对人口不同部分的个人剂量进行更准确的估计。在其他地方，可以通过传感器测量二氧化碳和颗粒物(PM)的水平来评估室内通风，这解决了当前新冠肺炎大流行期间的一个关键问题。

With an annual UK impact equivalent to around 30,000 deaths, air pollution is a pressing area of research. This project utilises low-cost portable sensor networks to record air quality data at a spatial and temporal resolution far beyond that of existing reference instruments. Most notably, the ongoing Breathe London study, with 100 sensors across the city, will be analysed and provide insight into the impact of major policy decisions, such as the Covid-19 lockdown and introduction of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). Significantly, this data set includes measurements of CO2 enabling calculation of emission indices to correct for the effects of extrinsic factors such as metrology on pollutant levels. Important challenges remain to refine the sensor calibration protocol and correct for data artifacts, and learnings from this study will be applicable to future implementations of the sensor network.Alongside large-scale outdoor data collection, comparable technologies can offer more individualised exposure data. Personal air quality monitors record an individual's everyday exposure to pollution, alongside data relating to their location and activity levels. This information leads to a more accurate estimate of individual dose in different sections of the population. Elsewhere, indoor ventilation can be assessed through sensor measurements of levels of CO2 and particulate matter (PM), and addresses a critical question during the current Covid-19 pandemic.