Particulate Matter Assessment in Association with Temperature and Humidity: An Experimental Study on Residential Environment

Abstract

Air pollution refers to the contamination of the breathing environment with the materials that pose a harmful impact on human health and natural operations of the ecosystem as well. Stats reveal that a large part of the population spends 80–90% of their time indoors; hence, are at more risk of serious health consequences such as respiratory illness. To improve the quality of life and overall well-being, it is important to measure the elements associated with indoor air pollution and find ways to reduce their impact on the living environment. This paper provides an experimental study on the status of indoor air pollution at an apartment and describes the relationship between particulate matter (PM₁₀, PM_2.5) in association with temperature and humidity levels. The experiment was conducted using Arduino Uno, ESP8266 Wi-Fi module, PM sensor, and DHT11 on the hardware side; whereas the data was collected online on ThingSpeak platform. The variations in the concentration levels were observed by varying apartment living conditions and domestic activities. These experiments indicate very poor air quality index, especially during cooking hours and while using some electric appliances. This study motivates the policymakers, pollution control teams, and healthcare professionals to find relevant ventilation mechanisms for traditional and modern homes to avoid poor health consequences.