Community-Based Measurements Reveal Unseen Differences during Air Pollution Episodes.

Short-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) pollution is linked to numerous adverse health effects. Pollution episodes, such as wildfires, can lead to substantial increases in PM levels. However, sparse regulatory measurements provide an incomplete understanding of pollution gradients.

Long-term calibration models to estimate ozone concentrations with a metal oxide sensor.

Ozone (O) is a potent oxidant associated with adverse health effects. Low-cost O sensors, such as metal oxide (MO) sensors, can complement regulatory O measurements and enhance the spatiotemporal resolution of measurements. However, the quality of MO sensor data remains a challenge.

Patterns of distributive environmental inequity under different PM air pollution scenarios for Salt Lake County public schools.

Previous studies have cataloged social disparities in air pollution exposure in US public schools with respect to race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. These studies rely upon chronic, averaged measures of air pollution, which fosters a static conception of exposure disparities. This paper examines PM exposure disparities in Salt Lake County (SLC), Utah public schools under three different PM scenarios-relatively clean air, a moderate winter persistent cold air pool (PCAP), and a major winter PCAP-with respect to race/ethnicity, economic deprivation, student age, and school type.

Development of a calibration chamber to evaluate the performance of low-cost particulate matter sensors.

Low-cost particulate matter (PM) air quality sensors are becoming widely available and are being increasingly deployed in ambient and home/workplace environments due to their low cost, compactness, and ability to provide more highly resolved spatiotemporal PM concentrations. However, the PM data from these sensors are often of questionable quality, and the sensors need to be characterized individually for the environmental conditions under which they will be making measurements. In this study, we designed and assessed a cost-effective (∼$700) calibration chamber capable of continuously providing a uniform PM concentration simultaneously to multiple low-cost PM sensors and robust calibration relationships that are independent of sensor position.