Hi, is anyone monitoring indoor air quality? I’m involved in the early stages of an IAQ pilot study to test whether residents in public housing in the District of Columbia are at risk due to lower IAQ. This is a grant funded community data science project to impact EJ communities.
We are interested in about 50 sensors to measure PM (and also considering CO2 as an indicator of poor ventilation). We can compare IAQ in public housing versus IAQ in private residents in the more affluent wards.
I was a bit alarmed to learn there is no consensus on IAQ standards for minimal human exposure like we have with the NAAQS.
Interesting project, and in my view, most people are clueless to the harms of both excessive PM and CO2 (and shouldn’t be, so any enlightenment would be helpful). I measure both PM and CO2, but not with the same meter. PM is with the PA-I-Indoor, which seems to work well. CO2 I have to use a different manufacturer’s meter (there’s a bunch of them on Amazon, etc). It’d be great if PurpleAir ever combined the two someday.
For me, it’s a constant tradeoff … to lower CO2 requires opening more windows (or expensive HVAC updates), which let in more PM. Almost have to choose what evil is more tolerated.
Great project! My husband and I started a group called Indoor Air Care Advocates. We are currently focusing on improving IAQ in schools to reduce the peer to peer transmission of airborne illnesses. We believe that IAQ monitoring is very important and that one key element to monitor is CO2 to determine how ventilated the area is. We purchased a couple Aranet 4 CO2 monitors, but having the purple monitors connected to the web is attractive. Any word on when Purple air will add CO2 monitoring to their indoor monitor?
Thank you for doing this work! it is so important. I dont live in public housing but I understand and have seen studies on how many people/children are impacted by second hand cigarette smoke and how it causes a host of lung related and other health problems.
I live in a 100 year old building that was divided into four units. I have seen the impacts of second hand smoke personally on my health, also impacts from chronic low level carbon monoxide exposure due to illegally installed and improperly vented gas heater.. the CO alarm was out of date and in the wrong room. it was an air monitor that saved my life , I believe. I learned from that experience that smoking and other inhaled things people in shared housing consume have tendency to drive up VOC levels. I have a QingPing monitor .. and I can clear the air (usually) when I open the doors and windows and put on a big fan.. but it gets really cold.
I have read from American’s for Non Smokers rights newsletters that many seniors who are living in senior housing are often exposed to second hand smoke and although HUD housing is supposed to be “smoke free” there is no enforcement.
I hope your study is going well, and or has gone well. thanks again for your work