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Linking air pollutant exposure to health outcomes—which can include impaired learning and memory as well as increased risk for respiratory, cardiovascular, and other diseases in people—poses a data-collection challenge for researchers. Sensors capable of detecting different classes of pollutants exist, but few devices can collect a broad spectrum of environmental contaminants. Combining sensors into a single device often requires that participants carry a backpack, one that may be too large and heavy for members of vulnerable populations, such as children and the elderly, to conveniently tote around.
In search of a better solution, Yale University environmental health scientist Krystal Pollitt and her team designed a cheap, wearable sensor that could be used for large-scale studies of vulnerable populations. The Fresh Air wristband consists of a triethanolamine-coated foam that samples nitrogen dioxide and a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) sorbent bar that absorbs airborne organic pollutants.
Pollitt’s design avoided the ...
