Understanding the spatial and temporal scales at which air quality affects people is critical for maintaining the overall health of a community. Due to the high cost and technical requirements associated with regulatory-grade in-strumentation, Federal Reference Method (FRM), and Federal Equivalent Method (FEM), multiple challenges are encountered during installation at multiple locations. This study intends to explore the feasibility of using low-cost instrumentation and hardware to create a more accessible platform for measuring air quality, for spatial and temporal estimation of ambient fine particulate matter concentrations (PM2.5) in an environmental justice commu-nity in New York City –Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice (YMPJ), in the Bronx. The study area is located between the three main highways known as the “toxic triangle”. In collaboration with the New York State De-partment of Environment Conservation (DEC) at Queens College, NY, the low-cost air quality monitors (AirBeam2) were surveyed and assessed through field colocation and integrated into a cellular data acquisition sys-tem. The data from the stationary monitoring networks were compared to FEM. The stationary networks in the neighborhood consisted of a total of 12 monitoring locations. Based on the R2 value a strong agreement was ob-served between FEM and AirBeam2 low-cost sensors. In the Bronx daily PM2.5 average was around 10 µg/m3, and there are durations when the spike in PM2.5 concentration occurs, reaching as high as 17μg/m3.
Development of a Power-Independent Low-Cost Particulate Monitor for Air Quality Monitoring in the Bronx -New York City
Ana Maria Carmen Ilie
;Holger Eisl;
2020
Abstract
Understanding the spatial and temporal scales at which air quality affects people is critical for maintaining the overall health of a community. Due to the high cost and technical requirements associated with regulatory-grade in-strumentation, Federal Reference Method (FRM), and Federal Equivalent Method (FEM), multiple challenges are encountered during installation at multiple locations. This study intends to explore the feasibility of using low-cost instrumentation and hardware to create a more accessible platform for measuring air quality, for spatial and temporal estimation of ambient fine particulate matter concentrations (PM2.5) in an environmental justice commu-nity in New York City –Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice (YMPJ), in the Bronx. The study area is located between the three main highways known as the “toxic triangle”. In collaboration with the New York State De-partment of Environment Conservation (DEC) at Queens College, NY, the low-cost air quality monitors (AirBeam2) were surveyed and assessed through field colocation and integrated into a cellular data acquisition sys-tem. The data from the stationary monitoring networks were compared to FEM. The stationary networks in the neighborhood consisted of a total of 12 monitoring locations. Based on the R2 value a strong agreement was ob-served between FEM and AirBeam2 low-cost sensors. In the Bronx daily PM2.5 average was around 10 µg/m3, and there are durations when the spike in PM2.5 concentration occurs, reaching as high as 17μg/m3.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
