Accepted for/Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: May 10, 2024
Date Accepted: Apr 16, 2025
A New Wearable System for Personal Air Pollution Exposure Estimation: Pilot Observational Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Personal air pollution exposure (PAPE) is the product of pollutant concentration and minute ventilation V’????. Standard exposure techniques do not address the space-time variability of air pollution, both indoor and outdoor, and the intra and inter subject variability in V’????.
Objective:
This study introduces a wearable system for Personal Air Pollution Exposure (PAPE) evaluation, computed as pollutant concentration multiplied by minute ventilation V’????.
Methods:
The system, a body sensor network capturing physiological (heart and respiratory rate) and environmental data, including health-affecting pollutants (PM1, PM2.5, PM10, CO2, CO, tVOC, NO2), was tested in a 4.5 km walk in Milan by 20 healthy volunteers. Physiological measurements and estimations were used in a V’???? model.
Results:
Significant pollutant concentration differences between morning and afternoon, and among acquisition points were found. Respiratory rates varied among subjects and acquisition points. PAPE to PM2.5, using tabulated V’???? and fixed station concentrations, was 2.96 mg higher than with the proposed system.
Conclusions:
This system, providing high resolution spatiotemporal personal exposure data, may enhance epidemiological studies with individualized exposure insights.
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Copyright
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