# An Affordable and Improved PM Monitor with Enhanced PM2.5 and Simultaneous PM0.30 Measurement Capabilities

> **NIH NIH R43** · AIRVIZ INC. · 2021 · $149,825

## Abstract

Abstract. Airviz Inc. is developing an affordable and reliable particle monitor that may be more
relevant to adverse health outcomes by measuring both PM0.3 and PM2.5. While measurement of
PM2.5 (particles smaller than 2.5µm) is the recognized standard for fine particle air pollution, there
is a growing body of evidence to indicate that adverse health outcomes continue at levels less
than half the average daily safe values of 12 μg/m3 specified by the EPA. In 2005, Maynard and
Kuempel concluded that particle toxicity increases with decreasing particle diameter and
increasing total particle surface area, thus challenging mass-based risk evaluation approaches.
Lung Deposited Surface Area (LDSA), 99% of which is due to particles below 300 nm, has been
proposed as a better metric to relate PM exposures to adverse health outcomes. Attention has
also been paid to relating mass concentrations of ultrafine particles (PM0.1, particles lower than
0.1µm) as a better health metric. But further studies indicate that measuring only ultrafine
particles would exclude significant numbers of still very small particles and significant fractions
of mass and surface, while measuring the contributions of particles with diameters less than 300
nm would include most, if not all, of these particles. This background suggests that an improved
particulate monitor that measures the mass and surface concentrations of both PM2.5 and PM0.3
could provide the most relevant information on the effects of particulate matter on adverse health
problems and that such a monitor would include both ultrafine particles and LDSA. Most
inexpensive particle monitors currently available in the market use optical scattering techniques
to measure particle concentrations and are limited to particles larger than 350 nm. Monitors that
can detect particles smaller than 350 nm can become relatively expensive ($7000 to $16,000).
The sensor to be developed within this project is an optical sensor that utilizes multiple angles
and/or multiple wavelengths, scattering theory and advanced signal processing techniques to
infer particle size information. This technology can be used in residential, commercial, and
industrial applications or metropolitan environments to provide key insights into air quality and
how it can impact human health. Because the monitor will be easy to use and interpret,
compared to expensive reference instruments, information can be provided directly to the users
so that they can be driven to action. In particular, low-income communities that are often
impacted by poor air quality can more affordably determine real-time ambient conditions and
drive positive change by using the monitor to identify pollution sources, appropriate mitigation
measures, and then track the efficiency of these measures.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10140199
- **Project number:** 1R43ES032640-01
- **Recipient organization:** AIRVIZ INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Jill Andersen
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $149,825
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-04-01 → 2021-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10140199

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10140199, An Affordable and Improved PM Monitor with Enhanced PM2.5 and Simultaneous PM0.30 Measurement Capabilities (1R43ES032640-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10140199. Licensed CC0.

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