Low-cost air quality portable sensors and their potential use in respiratory health

Abstract

Air pollution is an environmental risk for the general population and for patients with various diseases, particularly respiratory diseases. Little data are available on personal exposure, but the recent emergence of low-cost air quality sensors (LCSs) should enable a better understanding of the health impacts of air pollution at the individual level. However, the reliability and accuracy of most sensors in the market have not been established, and a thorough understanding of their strengths and limitations is needed. We therefore conducted a review to address the following questions: 1) What is an LCS and what is the extent of its possible application? 2) Is the data obtained a reliable indicator of exposure? 3) What are the advantages and disadvantages of LCSs? 4) Could LCSs be useful in investigating the impact of air pollution on respiratory health? Further studies are needed to promote the use of LCS in research settings and among respiratory patients. This will allow us to monitor exposure levels, provide alerts and study the respiratory effects of individual-level air pollution.