In 2024, the State of the Air report, published annually by the American Lung Association, reported that 39% of Americans—131.2 million people—live in areas with unhealthy air pollution levels. This report considers the most widespread air pollutants, including fine particulate matter, ozone, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These air pollutants are emitted by many industries and are especially notable during the various stages of shale gas development (sometimes called “fracking”). These concerning pollutants are known to trigger or worsen a variety of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cerebrovascular accidents (stroke), acute coronary syndrome, and many others.
Heart disease is already the leading cause of death in the United States, and air pollution only contributes more to this problem. February is American Heart Month, a time to learn about ways to improve your heart health with lifestyle changes and by improving your environment.
The best way to protect your heart and overall health from the threat of shale gas pollution is to know what’s in the air around you. A variety of air monitors are available to the public, but choosing the best one for your circumstances can be difficult. Read on to learn about air monitoring devices available for purchase, what these devices monitor, and how each type of device might meet your needs.
What types of air monitors are available?
Indoor
Indoor air monitors are not weatherproof and must be located inside. Devices monitor anywhere from one to over a dozen pollutants or properties. Temperature, humidity, and even altitude are often counted as metrics. These metrics may or may not be useful to your understanding of the air in your home. Most devices are compatible with iOS or Android apps to view data over time and in useful graphs. Depending on the style and brand, indoor air monitors can be battery powered or require a power cord.
Some manufacturers offer the ability to display the monitor on a public map. Indoor air quality varies widely based on your personal habits, so while it may be useful to compare your indoor monitor readings to a public map of outdoor readings in your area, comparing your home to others is much less useful. There are also privacy concerns with sharing indoor monitoring data, as readings change based on whether or not a home is occupied. Before enabling these settings, be sure to consider your comfort level with sharing data on a public platform that could be used to identify times when you’re away for an extended period of time.
Outdoor
Outdoor air monitors have a weatherproof housing. The devices may require a power source, and some can be connected to the internet. Many online devices can transmit data to an app or a public map to contribute to a broader understanding of regional air quality. Typically, outdoor devices monitor particulate matter with volatile organic compound (VOC) monitoring available in some models.
Wearable
A newer type of air monitoring device is a small, portable, battery powered monitor. Some can be attached to a backpack, purse, or briefcase using a carabiner. Due to the tiny size of these monitors, some require data to be downloaded using a built in USB connection or Bluetooth. Most devices monitor particulate matter only, with some also including temperature, humidity, and other metrics.
What can air monitoring devices track?
Particulate Matter
The main pollutant detected by consumer air monitoring devices is particulate matter (PM). PM is the composition of tiny liquid and solid particles found in the air we breathe. It comes from a wide range of sources: dirt, pollen, animals, fires, cooking, and many industrial sources.
Particles in air are measured in microns (or micrometers) and are classified based on their size:
PM10 – particles 10 microns in diameter and smaller
PM2.5 – fine particles 2.5 microns and smaller*
UFPs – ultrafine particles less than 0.1 microns
The smaller the particle size:
The longer the particles can stay in the air.
The further the particles can travel from the emitting source.
The deeper the particles can travel into the body and become trapped in the throat, penetrate deep into the lungs, enter the bloodstream, or cross into cells.
The more difficulty the body has in defending against or effectively expelling them.
The more harmful gases can adhere to all particles’ surfaces and be carried into the deep lung.
“In outdoor air, PM has been found to be correlated with other pollutants on average over long periods of time,” EHP’s program manager, Nathan Deron, said. “Generally, when you find more PM in your outdoor air, you’re also likely to find more ozone, NO2, SO2, and CO. The time of day that these different pollutants are highest can differ, so elevated PM readings from a monitor don’t necessarily mean there would be elevated readings of any other pollutants.”
It’s important to note that the same is not true for monitoring PM indoors. “Indoor air can be much more unpredictable, and relationships between PM and other pollutants depend a lot on your home and living habits,” Deron said. “An indoor PM monitor won’t tell you much about your exposure to other airborne pollutants.”
*PM2.5 is the smallest particle detected by low-cost air monitors readily available to consumers.
Some devices monitor VOCs, gases emitted from certain products or processes. Hundreds of VOCs exist in the atmosphere, and air monitors readily available to consumers are not able to parse out which individual compounds are present. Therefore, the VOC reading on any consumer- grade monitor is best taken as identifying a trend rather than providing an exact measurement.
A number of air monitors test individually for formaldehyde, a specific, well-known VOC.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
CO2 levels are used to gauge how well ventilated an indoor space is. Lower CO2 concentrations promote good mental function and reduced exposure to airborne viruses. CO2 is produced by humans exhaling, and high levels are not life threatening.
Radon
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that comes from the decay of uranium in rocks and soil. It is odorless and colorless. Radon is present outdoors in small amounts. The gas enters homes and buildings through foundation cracks and holes where it collects and reaches levels that can be harmful to human health. Monitoring radon with a multi-function air monitoring device can help you keep track of seasonal changes in indoor radon levels. The EPA recommends mitigation for levels above 4.0 pCi/L.
Carbon Monoxide (CO)
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas produced by combustion. The level of CO indoors should always be zero. Breathing CO causes illness and, at high levels, death. Almost all CO monitors are single purpose devices which can be stationary or portable.
How to choose a device that best meets your needs?
For heart health and overall wellness, lowering exposure to particulate matter is a worthy goal. When choosing an air monitoring device, examining your personal situation (budget, where you spend the most time, personal or family use) will help determine whether your goals can be accomplished with one device or if two or more are needed. Use of an indoor or wearable monitor can help identify areas where filtration could be used to improve air quality. An outdoor monitor will give you data that can be useful to you, your neighbors, and local leaders. Identifying areas where you spend time that may expose you to emissions can help you decide which monitor would be best.
Better air means better health, especially when it comes to heart health. The first step to improving health impacts related to poor air quality is to understand the pollution that may be impacting you. Installing an air monitor can be a helpful first step in determining options for reducing exposure. If these options are overwhelming, a Pittsburgh-area nonprofit, Reducing Outdoor Contaminants in Indoor Spaces (ROCIS), can help. Through their Low-Cost Monitoring Program (LCMP), ROCIS loans participants particle monitors, CO2 monitors, a CO monitor, and two radon monitors to use over the course of a three-week cohort. Online webinars teach participants to collect and interpret the results of the monitors. Interventions to improve indoor air quality are recommended. The LCMP primarily serves those in the greater Pittsburgh area. A few participants from further distances can be accommodated in each cohort. Learn more at rocis.org/lcmp.
Research has found that exposure to high levels of PM2.5 for short periods of time can increase the risk of heart attacks associated with cardiovascular disease. As you focus on heart health for American Heart Month, consider air monitoring as a first step to understanding and improving the air quality where you are.
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