DEVELOPMENT OF A LOW-COST MEASURING SYSTEM FOR THE MONITORING OF ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS THAT AFFECT AIR QUALITY FOR HUMAN HEALTH

Abstract

In many situations or applications, it is essential to evaluate the air quality in relation to human health. For that reason, a monitoring system has been designed with the objective of accurately measuring temporal trends in the air mixture that we breathe. Parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, several inorganic gases (CO₂, O₃, SO₂, CO), the total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) and the concentration of particulate matter need to be measured simultaneously in order to achieve an operational sensing node. With current technology, it is possible to use open-source hardware and software to create a low-cost monitoring system. At present, the development and selection of the hardware, software platforms and the sensors associated with these applications, constitute a scientific and technological interest. The possibility of creating compact, economically accessible systems, based on open-source hardware and software, increases the possibility to perform such analyses at a larger scale and by simple citizens. The proposed system is a prototype in the initial phase, so only the operational capabilities of the system were evaluated during periods of time of 24 and 72 hours of continuous operation, the response of the sensors to step-type inputs and the measurement of background concentrations in urban interior environments.