Liverpool unveils prototype low-cost personal air pollution monitor for Africa
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The University of Liverpool has developed a new prototype low-cost monitor (LCM) designed to measure personal exposure to air pollution, offering an affordable tool for communities and health professionals worldwide.
The project is a collaboration between Dr Jonny Higham, from the Department of Geography and Planning, and Professor Dan Pope, from the Department of Public Health, Policy and Systems aiming to reduce the burden of household air pollution (HAP).
Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) found in household air pollution (HAP) from combustion of solid fuels like wood, charcoal and kerosene is the largest environmental risk factor for global disease burden, responsible for 3.1 million deaths every year.
The compact 8cm device records fine particulate matter, volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide at one-second resolution. Its battery lasts up to four days, and data can be accessed in real time via mobile phone or a dedicated web platform, with the option to download results as .csv files. The monitor also features a traffic light display aligned with World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines, making it particularly useful for community health workers and other frontline professionals.
The prototype was launched at the Central Africa LPG Expo in Cameroon, attracting strong interest from stakeholders, including potential investors. Following the event, several units were deployed in Mbalmayo, one of the University of Liverpool’s CLEAN-Air(Africa) Unit’s research communities in Central Cameroon, where they successfully captured real-time data on both ambient and personal exposure to pollution.
During a training workshop for community health workers on household energy, air pollution and prevention, Professor Pope demonstrated how the monitors can be used to raise household awareness of harmful particulates. Community health workers highlighted the value of the devices in supporting their health messaging.
The Liverpool LCMs will be finalised after further field testing in Mbalmayo. They will then be made available through the CLEAN-Air(Africa) Air Pollution Centre of Excellence at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) in Nairobi, directed by Dr James Mwitari, and through Douala General Hospital’s Air Pollution Research Centre in Cameroon, led by Professor Bertrand Mbatchou. Both UoL partner centres are equipped with state-of-the-art calibration and benchmarking facilities supported by CLEAN-Air(Africa) to ensure accuracy and reliability.
Professor Dan Pope said “We are delighted with the reception the monitors have received so far and how health practitioners in Africa are engaging with the technology. The monitors will be critical in raising awareness on the health impacts from air pollution and benefits from prevention through adoption of clean energy”.
Directed by the University, CLEAN-Air(Africa) was launched in 2018 through NIHR Global Health Research funding (£10m over 9 years) and includes collaboration with leading public health researchers from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Cameroon and Ghana). The partnership is conducting policy relevant research and health systems strengthening to address non-communicable disease burden associated with reliance on polluting solid fuels for household energy.
For more information about the Low-Cost Monitors, visit liverpoolsensors.co.uk or contact cleanairafrica@liverpool.ac.uk.