Using PurpleAir Sensors to Monitor Air Quality in Will County, IL

Measuring particulate matter below 2.5 microns in size (PM2.5) is important to public health, as elevated exposure can exacerbate cardiovascular and respiratory conditions like asthma, especially in children. The Joliet area in Will County, IL, is an urban/suburban area southwest of Chicago on a supply chain corridor that contains several interstate highways, rail lines, a ship canal, an intermodal system that is the largest inland container port in North America, and an increasing number of warehouses. In collaboration with a community group, Warehouse Workers for Justice, a network of PurpleAir sensors has been established and is currently being used to monitor air quality in the area. Normally, PurpleAir sensors require nearby power and Wi-Fi access to upload data to the PurpleAir database. This restricts sensor placement, so an off-grid system was designed to provide more site options. This system uses a solar panel and rechargeable lithium-iron-phosphate battery to power the sensor and a hotspot for transmitting data. In addition to showing the design and results of the off-grid PurpleAir study, preliminary results from the sensor network will be shown.