Dust alarm for monitoring air quality and detecting toxins

Are you worried that dust from construction areas near your home will harm your family's health? A new tool developed at Tel Aviv University will be able to verify your suspicions or put them to rest

Are you worried that dust from construction areas near your home will harm your family's health? A new tool developed at Tel Aviv University will be able to verify your suspicions or put them to rest.

Professor Eyal Ben-Dor and his research team from the Department of Geography at Tel Aviv University developed a sensor called "Dust Detection" - the first of its kind - that helps citizens and various authorities monitor the quality of the air they breathe. Similar to an ozone meter or a carbon monoxide meter, it measures the concentration of small particles that can pollute the air in the home.
"The sensor works just like an ozone meter," says Professor Ben-Dor. "You put it in your home or office for three weeks, and it's able to give you real-time pollution levels in terms of dust, pollen and toxins." The device, which works like a miniature chemistry laboratory, is able to determine with great precision the chemical composition of the toxins, so that homeowners and office and factory managers can improve the quality of the air they breathe.

Through the measurements, the researcher was sometimes able to find a quick solution to the houses full of dusty or polluted air. The solution may be as easy as leaving a window open, he explains. "We found during our research that a few simple actions at home can have a serious impact on the quality of the air we breathe."
Based on a portable chemical detector known as a spectrophotometer, the invention is capable of being installed and collecting data within minutes, although collecting samples over several weeks provides the best estimate of air quality. The long collection period is important due to fluctuations in air quality, both in the indoor environment and in the outdoor environment, fluctuations caused by changes in weather processes.
The "dust alarm" fills an important need. Contaminated air, which is breathed for weeks, months and even years, can have fatal consequences, leading to the development and worsening of diseases such as: shortness of breath, bronchitis and even lung cancer. Thanks to findings obtained from this development, urban planners will be able to provide better solutions and minimize the environmental risks. "We are definitely able to provide an accurate forecast regarding the health of the air in the home or office for the benefit of the future users. "If someone in the family or among the employees has an allergy or hypersensitivity, poor air quality can definitely be a decisive factor in the purchase of the property," explains the chief researcher.

The state-of-the-art device may be most useful for compounds in disaster areas, such as chemical fires, severe dust storms, hurricanes or tragedies such as the collapse of the Twin Towers in the US. Survivors of these situations are often unaware of the additional environmental problems that exist, and the government is unable to provide them with sufficient protection Because there is no scientific tool accurate enough to reliably characterize the risks.

Using the "dust alarm" it will be possible to advise tenants to evacuate their homes and offices until the dust has passed or settled, or to take a number of simple precautions such as airing rooms in the apartment, the researcher suggests.

According to Professor Ben-Dor, the dust alarm could be used by the state or city authorities to create "dust maps" that could provide detailed environmental information on the various streets and neighborhoods, and would allow the state authorities to better identify those responsible for pollution and prosecute them. Today, for example, there is no system for monitoring the pollution that originates from construction sites and which poses a clear risk to the health of the residents.

"Until today, the citizens grinned to themselves and suffered in silence in the face of the polluted air they breathed," says Professor Ben-Dor. "Detecting the dust can provide them with reliable and decisive evidence of the presence of pollution, so that the public as a whole can breathe better. We are able to notice the dust that accumulates on our windows and furniture, but most of us do not see the dust we breathe. For the first time, we are able to detect it and measure its more dangerous components ."

With the help of their dust maps, university scientists have already been able to match urban heat complexes with high levels of a certain substance, thus allowing city planners and authorities crucial information for the establishment of green areas and public gardens that will neutralize it. Professor Ben-Dor also plans to develop his prototype system into a home or office unit, and provide advice and personalized services that can help people know what the dust contains.

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