Estimation of particulate matter exposure to construction workers using low-cost dust sensors

Abstract

The construction industry is one of the significant sources which pollutes the environment. As 66 % of the world’s population will move towards urban areas within 2050, the rate of construction work happening in the cities will be enormous. Thus, construction practitioners should be aware of Particulate matter (PM) exposure and associated health impacts on society living in urban areas and focus on executing targeted countermeasures. Low-cost sensors with higher sensitivity and higher saturation point can be used for PM measurements during the construction works. This study measures PM produced from a construction activity using low-cost sensors. A total of 4635 exposure samples were collected during the experiment from which the PM concentrations for PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 were recorded as 7731.32, 532.14, and 113.68 μg/m3 with a standard deviation (σ) of 1990.39, 64.97, and 12.06 μg/m3. The two-stage Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) method supports the conclusion that even after implementing efficient control measures, the concentration of PM10 and PM2.5 remain 30 and 8 fold higher than their respective 24-hs exposure standards. Thus, future research work should focus on creating targeted control measures, further research exploring the distribution of particles produced from different construction activities should be monitored.