Feasibility and acceptability of monitoring personal air pollution exposure with sensors for asthma self-management

Abstract

Background Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) increases the risk of asthma exacerbations, and thus, monitoring personal exposure to PM2.5 may aid in disease self-management. Low-cost, portable air pollution sensors offer a convenient way to measure personal pollution exposure directly and may improve personalized monitoring compared with traditional methods that rely on stationary monitoring stations. We aimed to understand whether adults with asthma would be willing to use personal sensors to monitor their exposure to air pollution and to assess the feasibility of using sensors to measure real-time PM2.5 exposure. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 adults with asthma to understand their willingness to use a personal pollution sensor and their privacy preferences with regard to sensor data. Student research assistants used HabitatMap AirBeam devices to take PM2.5 measurements at 1-s intervals while walking in Philadelphia neighborhoods in May–August 2018. AirBeam PM2.5 measurements were compared to concurrent measurements taken by three nearby regulatory monitors. Results All interview participants stated that they would use a personal air pollution sensor, though the consensus was that devices should be small (watch- or palm-sized) and light. Patients were generally unconcerned about privacy or sharing their GPS location, with only two stating they would not share their GPS location under any circumstances. PM2.5 measurements were taken using AirBeam sensors on 34 walks that extended through five Philadelphia neighborhoods. The range of sensor PM2.5 measurements was 0.6–97.6 μg/mL (mean 6.8 μg/mL), compared to 0–22.6 μg/mL (mean 9.0 μg/mL) measured by nearby regulatory monitors. Compared to stationary measurements, which were only available as 1-h integrated averages at discrete monitoring sites, sensor measurements permitted characterization of fine-scale fluctuations in PM2.5 levels over time and space. Conclusions Patients were generally interested in using sensors to monitor their personal exposure to PM2.5 and willing to share personal sensor data with health care providers and researchers. Compared to traditional methods of personal exposure assessment, sensors captured personalized air quality information at higher spatiotemporal resolution. Improvements to currently available sensors, including more reliable Bluetooth connectivity, increased portability, and longer battery life would facilitate their use in a general patient population.

Motorized three-wheelers and their potential for just mobility in Caribbean urban areas

“…In China and the United States, Air beam units were used for spatial modeling of particulate matter air pollution sensor measurements collected by community scientists while cycling, land use regression with spatial cross-validation, and applications of machine learning for data correction; feasibility and acceptability of monitoring personal air pollution exposure with sensors for asthma self-management (Adams et al, 2020; Guevara-Luna et al, 2020; Xie et al, 2021). Although air sensors are not a replacement for regulatory monitors, they entail a valuable teaching tool (Anastasiou et al, 2022).…”

Gaps and future directions in research on health effects of air pollution

“…(2021) simultaneously obtained PM measurements from personal monitors and regulatory monitors to study exposures in individuals with asthma, and demonstrated that the portable monitors were better able to capture personalized air quality information compared to the traditional method. 37 However, despite these advantages, the wide use of personal monitors for exposure studies is limited for several reasons. Personal monitors and methods that have been validated and are of research grade have been expensive and require initial training to use, particularly for monitoring of gases and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).…”

Environmental contaminants and child development: Developmentally‐informed opportunities and recommendations for integrating and informing child environmental health science

“…For example, although none of the studies in this Special Issue employed personal exposure monitors, research using such devices suggests exposure biomarkers vary by individual (Liang et al., 2019 ). Indeed, technologies are being marketed commercially and conducting research using individual‐exposure measurement approaches may soon be more cost‐effective, feasible, and acceptable (Caplin et al., 2019 ; Steinle et al., 2013 ; Xie et al., 2021 ).…”