AllerGen trainee monitors pollution in ‘real time’

Natalia Mykhaylova, a PhD candidate in chemical engineering at the University of Toronto, is part of an AllerGen-funded research team that is developing an inexpensive air-quality monitoring device that could eventually be used to increase pollution monitoring across cities. By mounting the device on outdoor utility poles, placing it in homes, or even carrying a handheld version, this new technology will allow a more precise measurement of pollution levels.

The device is equipped with an array of sensors to monitor local concentrations of nitrogen oxide (NO2), ozone (O3) and particulate matter (PM2.5) – pollutants known to contribute to the development of asthma and other chronic diseases.

Placing a network of monitors around a city would help to map the variability of air pollution across neighbourhoods and allow individuals to measure their personal exposure to pollutants in ‘real time’, according to Mykhaylova and Professor Greg Evans, an AllerGen Investigator who leads the study. This research is part of AllerGen’s Gene and Environment research platform under the subproject BEAM (Better Exposure Avoidance Measures), led by Dr. Jeff Brook. Read more.