Should I Use Technology to Monitor the Environment from Home?

With the World Health Organisation reporting that poor air quality claims the lives of seven million people on an annual basis, concerns about the cleanliness of the air we breathe have never been higher. That figure accounts for one in every eight deaths around the globe and confirms air pollution as the single biggest environmental health risk facing our species.

Understandably, you’ll want to keep abreast of the air quality in your area – and, perhaps even more importantly – inside your home. As the place where most people spent as much as 90% of their time, the household can seem a safe haven from the dangers of contaminated air.

However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found that indoor environment is two to five times more polluted than external conditions, and in some cases, indoor atmospheres can be as much as 100 times more contaminated. Clearly, adequate air monitoring must be undertaken to ensure that the air you breathe 90% of the time is, in fact, healthy and free from contaminants.

Why is Indoor Air Quality Worse?

The main reason for poor indoor air quality is inadequate ventilation. Once vapours and toxins are released into a household atmosphere, they can find it very difficult to escape and disperse. As such, they can represent an ongoing threat to the health of yourself and your loved ones, resulting in grave complications over a protracted period.

Especially in newer houses and buildings, airtight design makes it virtually impossible for pollutants to disperse. Cigarette smoke, radon from foundations, particulate matter 2.5, carbon monoxide and other harmful chemicals and elements can infiltrate your bloodstream over a period of time, eventually leading to disease and death.

Opening windows and doors to increase ventilation and using air purifiers and humidifiers can alleviate the situation. However, to tackle the problem pertinently, you must first thoroughly understand it – this can be achieved through the use of a home air quality monitor.

The Choices Available

Fortunately, concerns over air quality have reached such heights in recent years that a surge of products has risen to meet the demand. Here are three such options for ensuring that the air in your home is clean and free from contaminants:

• Speck. This product, launched in March 2015, has the ability to link with your home Wi-Fi, uploading data in real-time and cross-checking it with local, national and international standards. This information can create historical patterns, which allow you to better understand the creation of pollution in your home and how to avoid it.
• Awair from Bitfinder. As well as logging harmful contaminants such as particulate matter (PM2.5), carbon dioxide (CO2) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the Awair monitor tracks humidity and temperature and makes recommendations on which products can help you to achieve your optimal home air quality level.
• Clarity. This wearable monitor has the added advantage of collecting information from your atmosphere even when you’re not at home, giving you a comprehensive overview of the air you breathe throughout the day. It also has the further benefit of serving a centralised database, which collects and collates information from an array of sensors around the country and around the world.

The slow, steady march of technology has meant that we can now gain a better picture of the air we’re breathing, wherever we are at any given time. Furthermore, wireless monitoring allows for instant uploads and data integration, combining to deliver a safer indoor atmosphere.