Research study: the impact of mobility on children's exposure to air pollution

ClAiMon Brno (ChiLdren AIr MONintoring Brno)

The research deals with mobile measurement of air pollution exposure in Brno. The aim is to determine the individual exposure of children to air pollution based on their daily mobility and behaviour.

Specified tasks:

• map the concentration of particulate matter burdening children of compulsory school age in relation to spatiotemporal data and mobility
• identified problematic areas or times
• analyse the role and influence of socio-economic and demographic characteristics, attitudes, awareness levels, and environmental attitudes on preferences for reducing air pollution morbidity

Personal sampler

How it works:

The personal sampler monitors dust particles of various sizes, CO₂ concentration, temperature, and humidity. Data is stored in the internal backup memory of the device and sent to a secure server at set time intervals.

All data is tagged with the GPS receiver's instrument identifier, date, time, and coordinates. A rechargeable battery provides the power supply; recharging is possible from standard chargers (e.g., mobile phone chargers) using the USB-C connector. Data collection occurs once every 1 minute when the GPS is changed and once every 10 minutes when the GPS is unchanged. Data is sent to the server every hour.

Technical parameters of the personal sampler:

Sensor used	Sensirion SPS30, Sensirion, SCD40-D-R2
CO2 concentrations	400 – 2000 ppm, přesnost +/- 50 ppm
Particulate matters	PM1 / PM2,5 / PM4 / PM10 v rozsahu 0 – 1000 μg/m3
Accuracy PM1 + PM2,5	0 - 100 μg/m3 ±10 μg/m3; 100 - 1000 μg/m3 ±10 % m.v.
Accuracy PM4 + PM10	0 - 100 μg/m3 ±25 μg/m3; 100 - 1000 μg/m3 ±25 % m.v
Air temperature	-10°C … +60°C, přesnost +/- 0,8 °C
Air humidity	0 … 100 % RH, přesnost +/- 6 % RH
Communication	GPRS 2G, SIM 1024MB / pevná předplacená karta 1GB / 10 let
Internal backup memory	512 kB
Accumulator	3,7 V / 2800 mAh
Battery operation	20 hod, dobíjení kabelem USB C
Dimensions	85 x 95 x 20 mm
Weight	200 g

 

The reliability of the personal sampling device:

PM1 concentration waveform measured by the personal sampler (blue) and the reference meter (Airpointer) (yellow)

A crucial task was to recruit participants for the research

We presented our research in Brno schools, engaging children and their parents to understand the importance of our work and how they, along with their parents can participate.

The children were informed that taking part in the research includes wearing a measuring device, and we provided instructions on how to wear it.

And we did it! A total of...

12 primary schools in Brno

over 150 children

1st - 9th class

What was the participants' task, and how did it work?

1) The children wore a staff sampler.

All children carried a personal sampler continuously for seven days in winter and seven days in summer to capture the seasonal variation of different sources of air pollution. Children wore a staff sampler attached to their backpacks or behind their belts. It wasn´t necessary to overly take care of the device, simply charging it once per day was sufficient.

2) Completing daily activity logs

To relate the activity to the measured air quality, children or parents recorded what they did throughout the day and what means of transport they used.