Characterizing the effects of structural fires on fine particulate matter with a dense sensing network

Abstract

Short-term increases in air pollution levels are linked to large adverse effects on health and productivity. However, existing regulatory monitoring systems lack the spatial or temporal resolution needed to capture localized events. This study uses a dense network of over 100 sensors, deployed across the city of Chicago, Illinois, to capture the spread of smoke from short-term structural fire events. Examining all large structural fires that occurred in the city over a year (N = 21), we characterize differences in PM_{2.5} concentrations downwind versus upwind of the fires. On average, we observed increases of up to 10.7 upmug/m^{3} (95% CI 5.7–15.7) for sensors within 2 km and up to 7.7 upmug/m^{3} (95% CI 3.4–12.0) for sensors 2–5 km downwind of fires. Statistically significant elevated concentrations were evident as far as 5 km downwind of the location of the fire and persisted over approximately 2 h on average. This work shows how low-cost sensors can provide insight on local and short-term pollution events, enabling regulators to provide timely warnings to vulnerable populations.