Abstract
Air quality monitors using low-cost optical PM2.5 sensors can track the dispersion of wildfire smoke; but quantitative hazard assessment requires a smoke-specific adjustment factor (AF). This study determined AFs for three professional-grade devices and four monitors with low-cost sensors based on measurements inside a well-ventilated lab impacted by the 2018 Camp Fire in California (USA). Using the Thermo TEOM-FDMS as reference, AFs of professional monitors were 0.85 for Grimm mini wide-range aerosol spectrometer, 0.25 for TSI DustTrak, and 0.53 for Thermo pDR1500; AFs for low-cost monitors were 0.59 for AirVisual Pro, 0.48 for PurpleAir Indoor, 0.46 for Air Quality Egg, and 0.60 for eLichens Indoor Air Quality Pro Station. We also compared public data from 53 PurpleAir PA-II monitors to 12 nearby regulatory monitoring stations impacted by Camp Fire smoke and devices near stations impacted by the Carr and Mendocino Complex Fires in California and the Pole Creek Fire in Utah. Camp Fire AFs varied by day and location, with median (interquartile) of 0.48 (0.44–0.53). Adjusted PA-II 4-h average data were generally within ±20% of PM2.5 reported by the monitoring stations. Adjustment improved the accuracy of Air Quality Index (AQI) hazard level reporting, e.g., from 14% to 84% correct in Sacramento during the Camp Fire.
Highlights
Throughout the Western U.S, wildland fires have increased in frequency and intensity over the past several decades due to climate change and the legacy of forest fire suppression [1,2,3,4,5]
To assess if PA-II and air quality monitoring stations (AQS) data were appropriately paired, we considered local topography such as the presence of valleys or mountains that could result in the PA and AQS seeing different air masses and viewed data to confirm basic synchronicity of trends
Instrument, a U.S Department of Agriculture study reported an Adjustment factors (AF) of 0.53 for smoke generated in a fire laboratory [56]; the same AF was measured in our current study for the modern version of the pDR for infiltrated wildfire smoke
Summary
Throughout the Western U.S, wildland fires have increased in frequency and intensity over the past several decades due to climate change and the legacy of forest fire suppression [1,2,3,4,5]. Development at the wildland urban interface has contributed to wildfire frequency and increased their cost in terms of human life and health and property damage [4,6]. Wildfire smoke contains fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ), toxic particle-phase constituents, ultrafine particles, and many irritant gases including acrolein and formaldehyde. Exposure to elevated levels of wildfire smoke has been linked to many adverse health outcomes [7,8,9,10,11]. Air pollutant concentrations can increase substantially, and low-income homes, which typically have high rates of uncontrolled air leakage, are vulnerable [12]. Filtration can be cost-effectively applied to reduce exposures and health impacts of wildfire smoke in buildings [13,14]
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