Abstract
Occupational health can be strongly influenced by the indoor environment as people spend 90% of their time indoors. Although indoor air quality (IAQ) is not typically monitored, IAQ parameters could be in many instances very different from those defined as healthy values. Particulate matter (PM), a complex mixture of solid and liquid particles of organic and inorganic substances suspended in the air, is considered the pollutant that affects more people. The most health-damaging particles are the ≤PM10 (diameter of 10 microns or less), which can penetrate and lodge deep inside the lungs, contributing to the risk of developing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, as well as of lung cancer. This paper presents an Internet of Things (IoT) system for real-time PM monitoring named iDust. This system is based on a WEMOS D1 mini microcontroller and a PMS5003 PM sensor that incorporates scattering principle to measure the value of particles suspended in the air (PM10, PM2.5, and PM1.0). Through a Web dashboard for data visualization and remote notifications, the building manager can plan interventions for enhanced IAQ and ambient assisted living (AAL). Compared to other solutions the iDust is based on open-source technologies, providing a total Wi-Fi system, with several advantages such as its modularity, scalability, low cost, and easy installation. The results obtained are very promising, representing a meaningful tool on the contribution to IAQ and occupational health.
Highlights
People spend about 90% of their time in indoor environments, and especially the elderly population and newborns, who are the most susceptible to indoor pollution, may spend all their time in indoor environments
Particulate matter (PM) is related to numerous serious health problems
The PM exposure information can be valuable to offer support to a medical examination by clinical professionals as the medical team might analyze the history of indoor air quality (IAQ) parameters of the ecosystem everywhere the patient lives and relate this records with his health complications
Summary
People spend about 90% of their time in indoor environments, and especially the elderly population and newborns, who are the most susceptible to indoor pollution, may spend all their time in indoor environments. Indoor air quality (IAQ) is the main descriptor of personal exposure to pollutants [1]. Poor IAQ is assumed as a challenge of greatest significance which affects the poorest and unprotected individuals worldwide who are most defenseless introducing itself as a significant issue for world well-being, that can be compared with others such as tobacco use or sexually transmitted diseases [2]. In 2050, 20% of the world’s population will be age 60 or above [4], which will result in an increase in diseases, health care costs, shortage of caretakers dependency and brutal social impact. Public Health 2018, 15, 821; doi:10.3390/ijerph15040821 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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