A Low Cost Personal Environmental Monitor with Wireless Communication

Air pollution causes health problems in exposed populations. One of the pollutants that has been receiving more attention in recent years is particulate matter (PM), which, depending mainly on its size and chemical composition, will show different impacts on health. Most studies on this topic use air pollution data from fixed environmental monitoring stations, which are placed in high places away from people. Recent reports ensure that these studies should be complemented with others that use data from personal environmental monitors carried by people; thereby achieving higher reliability in the results of health impact analyzes. Performing these types of studies is usually expensive, primarily because of the high prices of these technologies. This article presents results of tests performed on a prototype of a personal environmental monitor designed locally. This prototype is economical, versatile, lightweight, and is capable of recording: temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, altitude, global positioning, and particulate matter (PM). It also offers connectivity via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and cellular data.