VALIDATION OF LOW-COST PM 2.5 MONITORING SENSORS USING VARIOUS INSTRUMENTS WITHIN THE TWIN CITIES (RAWALPINDI AND ISLAMABAD)

Abstract

Air pollution is an international concern due to its severe effects on health and economy. It is identified as the 5th leading cause of human death (Health Effects Institute, 2019). When it comes to air quality index, the situation is even worse in developing countries. According to WHO, about 91 percent of people were facing miserable air conditions worldwide in 2016, especially those with low and moderate economies (WHO,2018). In countries already struggling with basic health needs and resources, air pollution is intensifying these issues. The south Asian region is more susceptible to adverse air quality due to lack of appropriate resources and poor health infrastructure. Particulate matter, especially PM 2.5 is one of the most dangerous pollutant; entering through human breathing can cause difficulty in respiration, damages the nervous system, and may be cancerous (Orach et al., 2021). Considering Pakistan, PM 2.5 is a major pollutant here and its limit is beyond the WHO standards, especially in the main cities. Therefore, an effective and economical solution is obligatory to cope with air quality challenges. No doubt, low-cost sensors have brought a great revolution in measuring air quality and are less expensive than traditional ones; however, there are still doubts about the data validity, limiting its role in wide-scale deployment (Liang, 2021). In this study, I explored the potential of Low-cost sensors (BlueSky) by validating their results against Gravimetric sampler, Nephelometer, and BAM (Beta-Attenuation Mass Monitor) sampler. Intercomparisons of low-cost sensors with reference monitors were observed at five sites (IESE NUST, Federal EPA Islamabad, US Embassy Islamabad, US Embassy Peshawar and DG Cement Chakwal) of varying pollution levels. Strong correlation of low-cost sensors against reference monitors showed their effectiveness in measuring PM 2.5 in real-time scenario.