There will be previous studies, blogs, or manufacturer's websites that can provide information for this group. The first one here is the EPA sensor website that includes an evaluation of low-cost monitors. It can be found at:
http://www.epa.gov/heasd/airsensortoolbox/
The Dylos and Speck monitors are among those evaluated.
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Here is a link to the Health Canada site that references indoor air quality guidelines: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/air-quality/residen...
If you want to explore the arcane world of oxides of nitrogen or volatile organic compounds (VOCs), neither of which ROCIS measures, this website is a good place to start.
ROCIS has been tracking carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations in participants' houses. We see frequent measurements > 1000 ppm and some excursions to 3000+ ppm. The science on health effects of CO2 has been evolving quite quickly lately. There are now several studies relating CO2 concentrations as low as 1000 ppm with cognitive effects. Here is a link to one abstract Azuma et al
Most often, the high measured CO2 concentrations we see are during the night in a closed-door bedroom. Do we need cognitive excellence while sleeping? Are there any other problems, or benefits, from having higher CO2 concentrations in bedrooms overnight?
Here is a link to a presentation by Richard Corsi (University of Texas) on the next level of indoor air interactions: https://media.uoregon.edu/channel/archives/12276
ROCIS has been concentrating on the some of the more obvious airborne pollutants (CO, radon, particles) where Corsi's work deals with both chemical reactions and pollutant emissions/removal by buildings and their contents (including people). He touches on such matters as how resuspended particles can have a different and more dangerous chemical content than those particle had before they landed. He also talks about what room contents (carpets, furnishings, occupants) have the greatest effects on particle and gas adsorption and re-emission.
It sounds deep but he is an engaging speaker and can make the topic very interesting. Wouldn't you want to know the significant effects that male body sprays are having on classroom air?
ROCIS monitoring has shown that both portable filters and upgrades to furnace filters provide reliable and significant particle reductions in homes. The EPA has updated its publications on residential filtration and they are worth consulting. The 7-page summary, Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-07/documents/guide_..., describes the range of air cleaners that can be used for particles or chemical contaminants. The full 74 page report, Residential Air Cleaners - A Technical Summary https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-07/documents/reside... , gives more detail on filter performance and selection. It is probably best to consult the short document first and then delve into the longer report for specific details, if needed.
This equipment is used in the ROCIS Low Cost Monitoring Project. Here are manufacturer websites for additional information.
Equipment Summary & Features
DYLOS 1700 AIR QUALITY MONITOR (3 per kit)
ROCIS_LCMP_Equip Summary.pdf
Here is another link, not to the paper itself but to a report on its implications. This involves an LBNL study on the utility of low-cost monitors (such as Dylos) to alert and protect householders. Here is the URL:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180822091022.htm
The study found that the monitors were notably less accurate than engineering test tools but they did serve a purpose in identifying high concentrations of particles. Most did poorly or did not measure the smaller particles (e.g. < 0.5 micron) which can also be hazardous. The Dylos monitor used by ROCIS participants counts only particles 0.5 micron or larger.
For those of you who wish to know more about the health risks of indoor particles, here is a link to the report from a National Academy of Sciences workshop held in February of 2016:
http://www.nap.edu/read/23531/chapter/1
It is a comprehensive report assembled and reviewed by the experts in the field. It is also reasonably easy to read.
This link is to the recent National Academy of Sciences two day conference on particles in houses and their health effects. It has links not only to videos of the presentations but also the PowerPoints themselves so you can view them at your own speed. There are some findings that seem to contradict what we are seeing, largely in the particle penetration rates. There is no better current reference.
http://iom.nationalacademies.org/Activities/PublicHealth/Health-Ris....
Health Effects of Indoor Exposure to Particulate Matter, February 10 and 11! Check out the webcast of a meeting taking place this week in Washington DC, hosted by the National Academies of Sciences Engineering & Medicine
Here is the link to info about the meeting, as well as the link to register for the webcast. http://iom.nationalacademies.org/Activities/PublicHealth/Health-Ris...
Nine hours of presentations! - it should address a number of questions that have surfaced from the ROCIS LCM project. Sessions will address: 1) Sources; 2) Particulate Dynamics & Chemistry; 3) Exposure Levels and Characterization; 4) Exposure mitigation; 5) Identified & Emerging Health Concerns; and 6) Interventions & Risk Communication.
Agenda is attached.
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AgendaIndoor PM 2416_Feb 10-11, 2016.pdf
Here is a short blog post that I wrote a few weeks ago called, "Visualizing Air Quality".
It provides a few links to air quality resources as well as an excel graph that I created using hourly data collected from three Dylos Air Monitors this summer.
P.S. I wrote it rather quickly and may have misstated the particle sizes that the SPECK counts. If someone would like to correct me, I'd be glad to have the post edited.
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