PM2.5 air pollution monitoring

Unhealthy, polluted air is a ubiquitous, invisible threat that is responsible for 200,000 premature deaths every year in America alone. The NRDC estimates that about 81 million Americans live in areas that fail to meet national air quality standards for particulate pollution (PM2.5).

Particulate matter, abbreviated as PM2.5, is a term used for particles found in the air; including dust, soot, dirt, smoke and liquid droplets that are 2.5 micrometers in size, or less. These particles are so small that they can be absorbed into the bloodstream upon inhalation and cause a variety of adverse health effects.

We tend to assume the air we breathe indoors is safe, yet indoor air quality is frequently worse than outdoors due to high confinement and a variety of indoor sources.

We are calling on interested participants to help determine sources of air pollution both indoors and out. Use the IQAir AirVisual Pro to discover factors that influence air quality (both PM2.5 and CO2) and then download the data from the device to validate your conclusions.

Scientific findings can be published on our website, airvisual.com, (with credit to you) in order to grow awareness of air pollution sources in the home, office, classroom, car and beyond.

You can also choose to make your air quality monitor a public outdoor station, contributing your community’s readings to the global air pollution map (airvisual.com/world), helping fill the gaps between government air quality data.

Already, community members in more than 40 countries around the world have deployed monitors outdoors to grow awareness of local air quality, and discover pollution trends and sources. Learn about the community of IQAir AirVisual data contributors here:
Russia: https://www.airvisual.com/air-pollution-information/blog/revealing-the-invisible-igor-in-krasnoyarsk-russia
Pakistan: https://www.airvisual.com/air-pollution-information/blog/revealing-the-invisible-airvisual-community-activism-ignites-action-to-fight-smog-in-pakistan
Nigeria: https://www.airvisual.com/air-pollution-information/blog/revealing-the-invisible-rafael-in-nigeria

Have another interesting idea for using the device that would contribute to our understanding of air pollution? We want to hear from you!