Tag: PM2.5

Can an Air Expert Escape Air Pollution? A 2-Month, 6-Month, and Year-Long Experiment in Personal Air Quality

Sotirios Papathanasiou3 Comments

Air pollution is an invisible threat, silently impacting our health. But what if you knew exactly where it lurked, both indoors and outdoors? Could an air quality expert, armed with this knowledge and personal equipment, achieve the World Health Organization’s (WHO) air quality guidelines for extended periods?

This is the question I, Sotirios Papathanasiou, an air quality expert,  will try to figure out over the next year. Starting July 1st, 2024, I embarked on a unique experiment, tracking my personal air quality for a full year. I am monitoring two key air quality metrics: Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and PM2.5 (fine particulate matter). However, PM2.5 data will be excluded when relative humidity surpasses 70% because the limitations of low-cost sensors. I will be carrying an Atmotube Pro and an AIRVALENT everywhere I go.

I am your human guinea pig, carrying these portable air quality monitors everywhere – from my bedroom to my gym, from my kitchen while cooking to the beach on a weekend getaway. This comprehensive data will allow us to see if, despite my expertise in pollution sources and protective measures, I can consistently meet the WHO’s air quality guidelines.

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Don’t Be Fooled by Mass: Why Counting Particles Is One Way Street for Sub-micron Air Quality Monitoring

Sotirios PapathanasiouLeave a comment

While monitoring air quality, scientists traditionally relied on mass concentration to measure particulate matter (PM). This metric tells you the total mass of particles per unit volume of air. But for sub-micron particles – those less than one micrometer in diameter – mass concentration falls short. Here’s why measuring particle number by size distribution is a superior approach.

The Small Matter of Small Particles

Sub-micron particles are incredibly tiny. Imagine a human hair – typically around 70 microns thick. A sub-micron particle is hundreds to thousands of times smaller! Due to their miniscule mass, even large numbers of sub-micron particles can register a low mass concentration. This can be misleading, as the health risks they pose aren’t dependent solely on weight.

Penetrating Deep: Size Matters More

Sub-micron particles, especially those in the ultrafine range (less than 100 nanometers), are deeply concerning. Their small size allows them to bypass the body’s natural defenses and infiltrate deep into the lungs. These particles can even enter the bloodstream, potentially causing respiratory and cardiovascular problems.

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Taiwan Tightens PM2.5 Standards to Protect Public Health

Sotirios Papathanasiou1 Comment

Taiwan is taking a significant step towards cleaner air by tightening its regulations on PM2.5, a dangerous air pollutant linked to lung cancer and other respiratory illnesses. The new standard will set the maximum permissible concentration of PM2.5 at 12 μg/m3, a reduction from the current limit of 15 μg/m3.

This policy change is backed by an eight-year research study conducted by the National Health Research Institutes. The study’s findings confirm the negative health impacts of PM2.5 exposure, highlighting the urgency to curb air pollution levels.

PM2.5 refers to fine particulate matter measuring 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter. These tiny particles can easily penetrate deep into the lungs, causing inflammation and aggravating respiratory problems. Air pollution sources include vehicle emissions, industrial activities, and other human-made factors.

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Are Low-Cost Sensors Random Number Generators?

Sotirios Papathanasiou5 Comments

Low-cost sensors aka LCS are commonly used in an effort to measure air pollutants like particulate matter all around the world, indoors and outdoors. Their low price has driven a lot of interest from many communities. Academics, experts, and consumers have embraced them because they are cheap to get and easy to embed in an IoT solution.

Countless air quality monitors use low-cost sensors (mostly from China) and although they are great as educational tools, their low accuracy leads to wrong conclusions most of the time.

Wrong conclusions are as bad as misinformation or fake news. Air pollution doesn’t kill instantly (most of the time) and it doesn’t create severe health issues in the short-term, but after an extended period or at least when we notice the consequences. One exception is carbon monoxide (CO) as it can kill people instantly and this is the reason we don’t see many low-cost CO sensors. There are some regulations that protect the consumers. Moreover, companies don’t want to take responsibility by using a low-cost CO sensor because they can get sued easily by the family of a victim when the air quality monitor won’t notice the increase of the gas indoors. Liability!

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Over-the-Range Hood Microwaves: Addressing Indoor Air Quality Concerns

Sotirios Papathanasiou1 Comment

Over-the-range hood microwaves offer the convenience of a combined microwave and “ventilation” system. However, a common misconception is that they effectively remove cooking fumes and pollutants from the kitchen. While they do have a fan system, it’s crucial to understand their limitations.

Recirculation vs. True Ventilation:

Unlike range hoods that vent exhaust outdoors, most over-the-range microwaves utilize a recirculation system. This means they draw in cooking fumes, grease, and moisture through a metallic mesh filter with holes bigger than a Swiss cheese, then release the “treated” air back into the kitchen.

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MasterClass: Air Quality Data Visualization with R Studio & Packages

Sotirios Papathanasiou6 Comments

R Studio and its packages are used by hundreds of thousands of people to make millions of plots. I use it to compare air sensor data from different air quality monitors/sensors or to visualize air pollution levels.

In this article we will explore both how we can visualize air quality data from publicly available sources and how you can create statistical correlations between different pollutants or different sensors to find the correlation coefficient or correlation of determination.

First: Get the Right Packages

Packages are collections of functions, data, and compiled code in a well-defined format, created to add specific functionality. Here are some of the packages that we will install inside RStudio and use.

#You can either get ggplot2 by installing the whole tidyverse library
install.packages(tidyverse)

#Alternatively, install just ggplot2
install.packages(ggplot2)

#saqgetr is a package to import European air quality monitoring data in a fast and easy way
install.packages(saqgetr)

#worldmet provides an easy way to access data from the NOAA Integrated Surface Database
install.packages(worldmet)

#Date-time data can be frustrating to work with in R and lubridate can help us fix possible issues
install.packages(lubridate)

#Openair is a package developed for the purpose of analysing air quality data
linstall.packages(openair)
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Dust Devils of Doom: Sand Storm & Haboob and Their Invisible Assault on Human Health

Sotirios Papathanasiou1 Comment

Recently, I met Dr. Karin Ardon-Dryer and she is my new favorite scientist/superstar because of her research and her charismatic way to share important information to the public. She was able to captivate everyone in the room with her presentation Effect of Dust Particles on Human Health at Miami University.

Sand storms, often romanticized in movies and documentaries, pose a far more significant threat than just a dramatic backdrop. These swirling giants of dust wreak havoc on air quality, carrying not just coarse sand but also microscopic fine particles with serious implications for human health. While sand storms are often associated with arid regions far from home, their reach extends farther than you might think, impacting even areas within the United States. Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and even eastern California are some of the states that experience poor air quality from such meteorological phenomena.

Haboob vs Sandstorm vs Dust Storms 

  • Haboob (Arabic for blasting/drifting) is a strong wind carrying a mass of dust and sand that has been lifted from the ground in very dry areas such as deserts.
  • Sandstorm is a windstorm especially in a desert, that blows along great clouds of sand.
  • Dust storms carry much smaller particles, which can be carried higher and further than sandstorms. 
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5 European Cities Air Quality

Air Quality Report from 5 Major European Cities

Sotirios Papathanasiou2 Comments

European cities are showing significant progress in combating air pollution, according to data collected from active official traffic air quality stations. There are positive trends which translate to cleaner air for residents, with reductions in harmful pollutants like PM2.5 and NO2. This article explores the known strategies that these cities have implemented to achieve such remarkable improvements, offering valuable insights for other urban centers striving for a healthier future.

These are the 5 cities and traffic air quality stations that I have analyzed data from.

  • Berlin DEBE068 (B Mitte, Brückenstraße)
  • Madrid ES0118A (Escuela Aguirre)
  • Rome IT1906A (Arenula)
  • Paris FR04012 (Place Victor Basch)
  • Athens GR0003A (Aristotelous)
European Air Quality Network – Active and Inactive Air Quality Stations
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The European Union Agreed on New Rules & PM2.5/NO2 Limits for Cleaner Air

Sotirios Papathanasiou7 Comments

On February 20, 2024, the Council of the EU released a press release that discusses the agreement reached by the Council and Parliament to strengthen air quality standards in the EU. The new standards are expected to improve air quality and reduce premature deaths. They will be reviewed regularly and could be further strengthened in the future.

EU lawmakers have joined forces to strengthen air quality standards by 2030. These new, stricter limits and targets align more closely with World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations and will be subject to regular review. The updated directive tackles a range of air pollutants, including fine particles (PM2.5 and PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), and even toxic metals like arsenic and lead. Each pollutant has its own specific standard, with the most significant reductions targeting those posing the greatest health risks. For example, annual limits for PM2.5 and NO2 will be more than halved, dropping from 25 µg/m³ to 10 µg/m³ and 40 µg/m³ to 20 µg/m³, respectively.

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Saving Lives, Breath by Breath: Learn about WHO AirQ+ (Free Software)

Sotirios PapathanasiouLeave a comment

Air pollution hangs heavy over many parts of the world, silently claiming millions of lives each year. Researchers and policymakers are locked in a crucial battle against this invisible enemy, and WHO AirQ+ software serves as a powerful weapon in their arsenal. Available for macOS, MS Windows, and Linux in English, French, German, Russian and Spanish.

This free, user-friendly software, developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), quantifies the health impacts of air pollution. It’s not just about measuring harmful particles or gases; it translates those numbers into real-world consequences, shedding light on the human cost of poor air quality.

How AirQ+ Works:

  • Estimates Health Effects: Enter air pollution data for a specific location, and AirQ+ calculates the burden of diseases attributed to various pollutants like particulate matter (PM), ozone, and nitrogen dioxide. This includes premature deaths, respiratory illnesses, and other health problems.
  • Short-Term & Long-Term Impact: Analyze both immediate effects from spikes in pollution and the accumulated burden from chronic exposure.
  • Future Scenarios: Model the potential health benefits of interventions like reducing emissions or switching to cleaner fuels. Imagine thousands of lives saved, just by seeing the numbers.
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