Monitor Indoor Air Quality to Assess the Risk of COVID-19 Transmission

Abstract

The year 2020 will remain in the memory of all mankind as the year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has affected the world economy, caused more than a million deaths in 2020 alone, changed the way people work and learn and, last but not least, changed the way people interact in society. Social distancing, along with wearing a face mask, is the best solution to prevent the spread of COVID-19 virus. What happens when in certain spaces social distance is difficult and can be accidentally violated without intention? In the absence of widely available tests, not only for people but also for surfaces or indoor air, the risk of contamination is very difficult to assess. This paper proposes a simple method, with low cost and widely implementable, to warn of respecting the density of people in a room. It proposes a dual monitoring system based on Internet of Things (IoT) to assess the indoor air quality and risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Review of an intelligent indoor environment monitoring and management system for COVID-19 risk mitigation

“…Learning activities in educational buildings, such as classrooms were primarily observed as part of the monitoring system ( 27 , 28 , 30 , 31 , 39 , 62 , 65 ). The prevention of SARS-CoV-2 transmission inside such infrastructures and the safe reopening of some public spaces and educational facilities were implemented through mechanical or non-mechanical means.…”

“…Nowadays, CO 2 monitors are available in the marketplace and moreover, the Federation of European Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Associations (REHVA) recommends installing CO 2 sensors to alert against poor ventilation in indoor areas ( 27 ). Eleven of the fifty four conducted studies examined the use of sensors ( 31 , 35 , 36 , 39 , 43 , 44 , 49 , 53 , 56 , 62 , 63 , 65 , 66 ), and indicated that the NDIR sensor is the simplest and most common technology ( 8 , 15 ). The mechanism of the NDIR sensor is to evaluate the value of light that is absorbed across wavelengths.…”

“…Because CO 2 absorbs light at wavelengths, other gases present provide minimal interference although temperature and humidity react with readout. Other than the NDIR sensor, the microcontroller ESP8266 can also support the creation of low-cost indoor air monitoring ( 31 , 50 ). Powering the ESP8266 with a wireless module allows for the supervision of ambient temperature in real time.…”

“…Adam(5), Agarwal (2), Burridge (4),Chojer (15,22), Dinoi (24), Elsaid (25), Eykelbosh (8), Hajjaji(23), Noorimotlagh (3), Singh(26) Review Aguilar(27), Assante(28), Asthana (29), Baboli(12), Barrio(30), Bidila(31), Carlotti(32), Chandel (16), Chen (33), Chen (34), Choe(35), Cicceri (36), Dhanalakshmi (37), Dinh (38), Dominguez (1), Gilio (39), Goyal (40), Guo(41), Hoang(42), Hou(7), Huang(43), Jo(44), Kaliszewski (45), Kanga(17, 18), Kenarkhoohi(46), Khan (47), Kim(48),Ko (49), Ladekar (50), Li (51), Marques(52),…”

Analysis of VOCs Emitted from Small Laundry Facilities: Contributions to Ozone and Secondary Aerosol Formation and Human Risk Assessment

“…As indoor life accounted for the majority of daily routine during COVID-19 pandemic, indoor pollution has received considerable attention in research [ 26 , 27 ]. Numerous previous studies have shown that indoor pollutant concentrations are more dominant than those outdoors [ 28 , 29 , 30 ].…”