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CARB will host a seminar for a research study by UC Berkeley that summarizes the extensive range of commercially available low-cost sensors for various air pollutants and their application for indoor air quality monitoring. Low-cost sensors can offer an accessible, user-friendly, and cost-effective solution for monitoring indoor air pollution levels and appropriate use of low-cost sensors can facilitate informed decision-making to improve indoor air quality. In this seminar, the researcher will present the findings from a comprehensive market survey of low-cost sensors suitable for monitoring particulate matters and gaseous air pollutants indoors and their key performance considerations and limitations. The researcher will also review past efforts using low-cost sensors to assess indoor air quality, especially in overburdened communities. In addition, the researcher will present actionable guidance about utilizing low-cost sensors to mitigate indoor air pollution, and recommendations for reducing indoor air pollutant exposures that can be readily used by overburdened communities.
Date: Thursday, March 27, 2025
Time: 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: Webinar
Please register for the workshop. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about how to join the webinar by computer or telephone.
Background
Indoor levels of particulate matter and gaseous air pollutants could be higher than outdoors when indoor sources are present, which increases the risk of a range of health effects. Residents in overburdened communities, who are usually impacted by higher levels of indoor air pollution, face more challenges to achieve healthy indoor air quality. Recent studies indicated that readings from low-cost sensors motivated people to take actions, such as reducing ventilation and enhancing removal of particles, and led to about 50% less outdoor PM2.5 entering indoors during wildfire events in CA. Therefore, if provided with guidance and resources, low-cost sensors could inform people about their indoor environment and be a part of the solution to lower the health risks from indoor air pollution. However, efforts to monitor indoor air using low-cost sensors are sparse in overburdened communities, partially due to lack of access to resources such as funding, guidance, and technical support. In addition, the use of low-cost sensors for gaseous air pollutants and how their readings impact people’s behaviors and indoor exposures needs to be explored further. Therefore, CARB funded this study to synthesize market and technical information on low-cost sensors for indoor monitoring of particulate matters and gaseous air pollutants, develop guidance about their use, and provide recommendations for reducing indoor air pollutant exposures that can be readily used by overburdened communities.
For more information about this research project, visit the project’s webpage. The project webpage will host the final report and seminar recording once they become available. For more information about CARB’s Research Program, visit our website or email us directly with any questions or comments at research@arb.ca.gov.
Biography
Dr. Cesunica Ivey is an Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the PI of the Air Quality Modeling and Exposure Lab at UC Berkeley. Her research focuses on the nexus of air pollution science and engineering and environmental justice. She is an emerging leader in the areas of regional air quality modeling and its applications and community-scale air pollution exposure assessment. She works in partnership with community organizations across California to prevent the over-industrialization of already overburdened neighborhoods.
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