Gillooly SE, Zhou Y, Vallarino J, Chu MT, Michanowicz DR, Levy JI, Adamkiewicz G. (2019). Development of an in-home, real-time air pollutant sensor platform and implications for community use. Environ Poll 244: 440-450.
HOME Study investigators published a paper in Environmental Pollution titled “Development of an in-home, real-time air pollutant sensor platform and implications for community use.” The paper provides an overview of what it takes to purchase, build, and maintain all of the components within the Environmental Multi-pollutant Monitoring Assembly (EMMA) that is used to measure indoor air quality in the HOME Study. All of the sensors within EMMA are comparatively low-cost, portable, and measure air pollution in real-time. As the development of low-cost sensors advances, the technology is seemingly becoming more accessible for community-based applications; however, despite their up-front affordability, extensive person-time and expertise are required to select, validate, calibrate, and maintain the devices to ensure reasonable accuracy. Because of financial and resource costs that exceed the cost of the sensors themselves, the authors emphasize that careful consideration should be given by community groups and researchers before the purchase and deployment of these sensors.