IoT for Cleaner Air
Indoor air pollution is the degradation of indoor air quality by harmful chemicals and other materials; it can be up to 10 times worse than outdoor air pollution. This is because contained areas enable potential pollutants to build up more than open spaces. This makes it an important area of concern for most developing countries as it is directly related to mortality and morbidity.
Humans spend 80–90% of their routine time indoors, so indoor air quality leaves a direct impact on their overall health and work efficiency. IoT (Internet of Things) is an inexpensive solution that can help right now to efficiently monitor indoor environments and ensure that they have a healthy supply of clean air.
How can IoT help in monitoring air quality?
IoT’s attraction lies in its overarching approach to air pollution, helping to understand the core problem and identifying ways to amend it. It also has financial benefits – cleaner air means less budget spent on pollution-related health issues for example – and is far less expensive than the traditional fixed air quality monitoring devices. Technological advances have resulted in small, low-cost, IoT-enabled sensors that can be installed anywhere from furniture to public transport, providing a clear picture of air quality levels in real-time allowing for faster decision-making. This data can be analyzed to identify causes and fluctuations in air pollution. It can be made available via apps on your mobile phone giving you alerts on air quality anywhere at any time, inside your home or your office.
Below are 5 vital reasons why monitoring indoor air quality becomes crucial for maintaining a healthy environment in closed spaces:
- Indoor air pollution – One of the main sources of indoor air pollution are VOCs (volatile organic compounds) such as benzene, ethylene glycol, formaldehyde, xylene, toluene etc. These are the gases that are emitted into the air from artificial products or processes such as aerosol sprays, disinfectants, moth repellents, paints, wood preservatives, automotive products and stored fuels. These are chemical gases that have a lower odour and hence need high-quality sensing devices to detect their levels.
IoT solution: TVOC (Total volatile organic compound) sensors are IoT sensors that can be used to measure the total concentration of multiple VOCs present in the air. They are less expensive and help maintain a healthy environment at home for the kids.
- Indoor air pollutants – Children, in particular, are vulnerable to pollutants due to their young airways. Moreover, they have a higher susceptibility to some environmental pollutants than adults as they breathe higher oxygen volumes relative to their body weights while their tissues and organs actively grow. Tightly sealed buildings, use of synthetic building materials, personal care products and housekeeping supplies have increased exposure to pollutants such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide, both of which can be fatal when exposed beyond a certain level.
IoT solution: CO and NO2 sensors can keep track of these pollutants.
- Insufficient ventilation – The term ventilation refers to the supply of outdoor air in a building. When there is not enough ventilation, levels of carbon dioxide in the air increase which negatively affects health. Elevated CO2 levels lead to chronic illnesses, reduced cognitive abilities and sleepiness.
IoT solution: CO2 sensors can monitor the surrounding air easily and efficiently.
- The density of people – When humans stay together in a closed space, air quality problems occurs due to increased CO2 concentration and an increase in temperature and humidity in that space. This can have adverse effects on health.
IoT solution: Humidity and temperature sensors can be used to measure the temperature and the ratio of moisture in the air.
- Infrequently cleaned surfaces – Common surfaces may start to accumulate viable and nonviable particles brought in from outdoors. These can include dead skin cells, dust, bacteria and other germs. Floating dust or germs are called ‘particulate matter’ and can be quite infectious.
IoT solution: PM 1.0 or 2.5 sensors can be used for detecting particle matter with a diameter between 2.5 and 10 µm, respectively.
IoT devices and sensors can be therefore customized to automatically trigger alerts when indoor air quality parameters exceed the optimum conditions. They can collect, store & transfer the relevant data over wireless networks without the need for human intervention.
How does uHoo help monitor & achieve optimum air quality?
uHoo is an advanced all-in-one air quality monitoring solution with in-built sensors, data acquisition and transmission of data through wireless communication channels like WiFi & Cellular networks. The sensors use IoT to track nine different air quality factors – temperature, humidity, air pressure, ozone, TVOC (airborne chemicals) CO2, CO, NO2, and PM 2.5 (dust). More importantly, it also tracks the virus index, letting you know what level of air quality is needed to be maintained to avoid the risk of coronavirus surviving and spreading in the air. It can also connect and work with other smart home devices seamlessly and integrated, making it the most comprehensive indoor air sensor in the market.
The resulting benefits of uHoo for an end-user include:
- getting better sleep,
- knowing exactly what products and chemicals to avoid and prevent dust buildup before allergies and infections occur.
- maximizing focus, well-being and productivity in a comfortable, healthy environment.
uHoo is a solution for anyone wanting to manage and optimize the air quality of indoor space by analyzing and presenting real-time air quality data. Using in-built dashboards, visualizations, and threshold analysis can help you understand the current situation as well as long-term trends so that you can make informed decisions for the health and productivity of your family at home or your staff at the workplace. Reach out to us at Thingstel in case you have any questions or simply want to know more.