Indoor Air Quality Monitoring & Mitigation
indoor-air

##Where We Breathe Where We Breathe is a project of [Public Lab's Open Air Initiative](/wiki/nonprofit-initiatives) focused on indoor formaldehyde monitoring and mitigation. There are four parts: **[A DIY formaldehyde test kit](/wiki/formaldehyde-test-kit):** conveyed by the lending library, bought in the Public Lab store or made on your own, will detect formaldehyde down to 5ppb and yields results in a thermometer-like readout after a 30 minute sample (ie. no need to send samples to the lab). **[A lending library:](/wiki/lending-library)** which will foster maximum use of test kits at a minimum price and allow for DIY devices to make inroads into the marginalized populations that need them most. **[A DIY remediation kit](/wiki/diy-indoor-air-quality-remediation-kit):** also conveyed by the lending library, bought in the Public Lab store or made on your own, will help reduce the atmospheric load of formaldehyde in your home by circulating air though the root system of plants known for their formaldehyde remediation capacity. This simple enhancement could increase the plant's ability to scrub the air of formaldehyde by as much as 100 times. **[An online platform:](/wiki/wherewebreathe) ** where community members can pair test results to the symptoms they register in an epidemiologically validated survey, share stories about the impact of air pollution in their communities, and find support and resources for advocacy. [![plywood-wwb-ink.jpg](https://i.publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/011/374/medium/plywood-wwb-ink.jpg)](https://i.publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/011/374/original/plywood-wwb-ink.jpg) **** ##Why domestic air quality? >Despite the long held observation that indoor chemical concentrations are generally higher than corresponding outdoor concentrations and that Americans spend ninety percent of their time indoors, the home is the last environmentally unregulated airspace in the United States. As both a major seat of exposure and regulatory void, indoor air quality is ripe for research-to-action interventions. Further, domestic exposures are often tied to racial and socioeconomic health disparities, making indoor air quality an environmental justice issue as much as it is a public health issue. **** ####Why formaldehyde? Formaldehyde is the most common and most toxicologically understood indoor air pollutant. It is used as a setting agent, binding together particle board walls, subfloors, hardboard cabinetry and adhering carpets to their backing. As a result of its widespread use in home construction, formaldehyde is the dominant cumulative contributor to cancer risk from the indoor environment and gives rise to a broad range of respiratory, dermatological and neurological pathologies. **** ####Where is this an issue? By current estimates, upwards of 98 percent of new homes (up to 5.5 years old) maintain indoor formaldehyde levels capable of inducing irritation. See more on our [exposure page](http://www.publiclab.org/wiki/formaldehyde-exposure). Elevated domestic concentrations of this chemical are commonplace from readily affordable mobile homes to high-end and tightly sealed “green homes” in California’s Silicon Valley. The energy efficiency of 'green housing' is often achieved by reducing thermal exchange between the inside and outside of the home. When more tightly sealed homes are not equipped with added ventilation chemicals can accumulate in the indoor air. Inexpensive laminate flooring, and a range of other commodities can raise the level of atmospheric formaldehyde in your home. While we our monitoring tool focuses exclusively on formaldehyde our mitigation tool can potentially remediate a broad range of indoor toxics, including benzine, toluene, trichloroethylene and xylene depending on what plant is used in the kit. **** ###Why manufactured housing? Although formaldehyde is the most common toxicant across housing types, we are particularly interested in working with the inhabitants of manufactured housing for the following reasons: ####1. Disproportionate exposure Although understudied, research indicates that formaldehyde levels in manufactured homes are on average four times higher than those of conventional homes. These high chemical concentrations in manufactured housing are due to the high use of engineered woods that utilize formaldehyde as a binding agent, the high ratio of exterior walls to indoor airspace and minimal venting mean that when formaldehyde is off-gassed it stays in the home. [![Boone_Workshop_over_sholder.JPG](https://i.publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/009/502/medium/Boone_Workshop_over_sholder.JPG)](https://i.publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/009/502/original/Boone_Workshop_over_sholder.JPG) ####2. Large, understudied and underserved population Manufactured housing is the largest source of non-subsidized affordable housing in the United States. While the exact number of manufactured housing occupants is unknown, it its commonly estimated that 20 million lower and moderate-income Americans currently reside in manufactured housing. Manufactured homes have an outsized share of the low cost housing market, representing 1 in 6 owner-occupied housing units with costs less than $500 per month. The median net worth of households that live in manufactured housing is one-quarter of the median net worth of other households. ####3. Chemical awareness without resources Formaldehyde has been a notorious issue among manufactured housing communities for over 30 years. Recent investigative reporting such as the[ 60 Minutes exposé](http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Flumber-liquidators-linked-to-health-and-safety-violations%2F&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEXjl9DW1m3Sz_g-mn055LITuN9hg) on the high rates of formaldehyde emanating from Lumber Liquidators laminate flooring have raised public concern about this chemical. This longstanding problem in conjunction with recent media attention have sparked a great deal of interest in and demand for formaldehyde test kits among manufactured housing inhabitants, yet these are precisely the groups that cannot afford testing and are not networked in a way that can build strong toxic tort cases which can lead the way towards industry and regulatory reform. **** ##The Where We Breathe Website [WhereWeBreathe.org](/wiki/wherewebreathe) (not yet launched) was developed to address non-place based environmental justice issues that revolve around toxic exposures emanating from distributed infrastructure (e.g. manufactured housing, flooring, natural gas compressor stations). It works by: * re-imagining epidemiological research tools around community needs * re-framing epidemiological surveys as a forum for community peer-support and knowledge building Rather than treat participants as research subjects, this project creates a safe and anonymous-by-default space to share stories, symptoms, and resources, while re-imagining the alliance between affected communities and researchers. View or contribute to the code on GitHub: https://github.com/publiclab/wherewebreathe **Mockup of Where We Breathe website created by @MelissaN and @warren:** [![WWB_Dash.png](https://i.publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/009/295/medium/WWB_Dash.png)](https://i.publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/009/295/original/WWB_Dash.png) **Walkthrough of the website:** **** ##The Where We Breathe hardware ###Public Lab's formaldehyde test kits combine two technologies: * low-cost aquarium pumps calibrated for precise air sampling * pre-made color-changing detection tubes sensitive to 0.01ppm (+/-10%) ([Kitagawa 710](http://www.kitagawa-america.com/tSponsor.html)) The tubes in combination with a modified and [calibrated](http://publiclab.org/wiki/formaldehyde-test-kit#Calibrating+Flow) aquarium pump form a testing system. Each test will run for 30 minutes, after which testers fill out a photo card and visually measure the length of the color-change on the Kitigawa tube. [![fulltube.gif](https://i.publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/011/379/medium/fulltube.gif)](https://i.publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/011/379/original/fulltube.gif) [![test-photo-card.png](https://i.publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/011/377/medium/test-photo-card.png)](https://i.publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/011/377/original/test-photo-card.png) _Above: photo card by @warren and @nshapiro. See more [photo cards here.](http://publiclab.org/wiki/formaldehyde-test-kit#What+data+should+we+collect?)_ **** ###Using this system, we've designed two types of kits: * completely **DIY kits:** we create plans and spec parts * hardened **[kits for lending](/wiki/formaldehyde-test-kit):** we assemble and calibrate **Example of DIY kit by @nshapiro :** [![DSC_0257.JPG](https://i.publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/009/501/medium/DSC_0257.JPG)](https://i.publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/009/501/original/DSC_0257.JPG) **Lending Library Kit** [![lendinglib-IMG_2154edit.jpg](https://i.publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/011/294/medium/lendinglib-IMG_2154edit.jpg)](https://i.publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/011/294/original/lendinglib-IMG_2154edit.jpg) **** ###Building the phytoremediation tool We're testing ways to scrub formaldehyde from the air using plants. See the initial [research note](http://publiclab.org/notes/nshapiro/10-20-2014/diy-indoor-air-quality-remediation), [working wiki page](/wiki/diy-indoor-air-quality-remediation-kit), and [notes on field testing](http://publiclab.org/notes/nshapiro/05-06-2015/field-test-of-diy-testing-and-remediation-kit). [![planter-labeled-fullsize.png](https://i.publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/011/295/medium/planter-labeled-fullsize.png)](https://i.publiclab.org/system/images/photos/000/011/295/original/planter-labeled-fullsize.png) **** ###Supporting Documents Colormetric tubes for formaldehyde detection: 710_1.pdf Gonzalez-Flesca, Norbert, André Cicolella, Matthew Bates, and Emmanuelle Bastin. 1999. “Pilot Study of Personal, Indoor and Outdoor Exposure to Benzene, Formaldehyde and Acetaldehyde.” Environmental Science and Pollution Research 6 (2): 95–102. Khoder, M I, A A Shakour, S A Farag, and A A Abdel Hameed. 2000. “Indoor and Outdoor Formaldehyde Concentrations in Homes in Residential Areas in Greater Cairo.” Journal of Environmental Monitoring 2 (2): 123–26. Leech, Judith A., William C. Nelson, Richard T. Burnett, Shawn Aaron, and Mark E. Raizenne. 2002. “It’s about Time: A Comparison of Canadian and American Time-Activity Patterns.” Journal of Exposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology 12 (6): 427–32. Accessed August 20. Adamkiewicz, Gary, Ami R. Zota, M. Patricia Fabian, Teresa Chahine, Rhona Julien, John D. Spengler, and Jonathan I. Levy. 2011. “Moving Environmental Justice Indoors: Understanding Structural Influences on Residential Exposure Patterns in Low-Income Communities.” American Journal of Public Health 101 (Suppl 1): S238–45. Salthammer, Tunga, Sibel Mentese, and Rainer Marutzky. 2010. “Formaldehyde in the Indoor Environment.” Chemical Reviews 110 (4): 2536–72. Hun, Diana E., Jeffrey A. Siegel, Maria T. Morandi, Thomas H. Stock, and Richard L. Corsi. 2009. “Cancer Risk Disparities between Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White Populations: The Role of Exposure to Indoor Air Pollution.” Environmental Health Perspectives 117 (12): 1925–31. McGwin, Gerald, Jeffrey Lienert, and John I. Kennedy. 2009. “Formaldehyde Exposure and Asthma in Children: A Systematic Review.” Environmental Health Perspectives 118 (3): 313–17. Kilburn, Kaye H. 1994. “Neurobehavioral Impairment and Seizures from Formaldehyde.” Archives of Environmental Health: An International Journal 49 (1): 37–44. CA OEHHA. 2001. Prioritization of Toxic Air Contaminants-- Formaldehyde. Children’s Environmental Health Protection Act. California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. **** **Looking for the older Roomba-based work?** This project is located on the "Roomba" wiki: http://publiclab.org/wiki/roomba-indoor-air-quality-mapping...


Author Comment Last activity Moderation
nshapiro "also they have an IAQ monitor installed... but its not clear to me what exactly they are monitoring... and what its detection limits are. " | Read more » over 7 years ago
nshapiro "these are great! thanks you leslie! Also just found this: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/clairy-the-most-amazing-natural-air-purifier-green#/ t..." | Read more » over 7 years ago
zengirl2 "So I was hoping of upcycling containers from home. I was thinking of an inner container holding the plant and materials, while an outside container..." | Read more » over 7 years ago
nshapiro "sorry to blow up the comments! here is another project that doesn't use any power to increase diffusion of air to the root system https://www.airy...." | Read more » over 7 years ago
liz "HI @Zengirl2 , would you please post pictures of your container-in-container design that you describe above? <3 <3 <3 " | Read more » over 7 years ago
nshapiro "Also maybe we should buy and take apart one of these to see how their system works. this is more closely based on NASA research than the Andrea pur..." | Read more » over 7 years ago
nshapiro "So exciting @kkoerner! no need to have a finalized prototype, in-process is a nice time to share and get feedback. I'd also like to circulate your ..." | Read more » over 7 years ago
kkoerner "@nshapiro Yes, I'm still with CAC! I've been meaning to post some of the work I've done here. We have a more finalized prototype for our air monito..." | Read more » over 7 years ago
nshapiro "here are some design precedents we were thinking with a year ago that I just sent to Christophe (we'll talk in may as he gets up to speed). I woul..." | Read more » over 7 years ago
zengirl2 "@nshapiro @warren @kkoerner Interesting to think about the container's involvement with vibrations as well, especially since I was thinking of havi..." | Read more » over 7 years ago
nshapiro "Thanks @kkoerner! For the air purifier, pulsing pumps are a-ok as we are not trying to move air through the roots in a precisely known way, just a ..." | Read more » over 7 years ago
Odie91 "Hi, this is an interesting project. I'm curious, do you think it's really necessary to convert the aquarium pump from blower to suction? If you b..." | Read more » over 7 years ago
zengirl2 "This is all very interesting @warren and @nshapiro because initially on reading the report with the air device and hearing the user's symptoms had ..." | Read more » almost 8 years ago
kkoerner "I do have some documents and quotes for smaller pumps, though they're more costly (roughly $100 with shipping included) and when LukeS tested simil..." | Read more » almost 8 years ago
nshapiro "in terms of jeff's questions: I'm not sure I understand the bell jar totally. I think a month is a good time for a test, to minimize illusory short..." | Read more » almost 8 years ago
nshapiro "yes! a 3 way would be great, they really do moan when they get jammed. A three way or a two way that vents the non-line engaged channel would be id..." | Read more » almost 8 years ago
mathew "1) Looking up the flow rate is going to give a rough estimate, but we will probably have to measure in-situ. The bubble method is a good one here. ..." | Read more » almost 8 years ago
warren "Hi, Nick, thanks! Using an arduino to switch pumps or valves seems totally plausible. For prototyping, fans was easier, and I do wonder if we could..." | Read more » almost 8 years ago
nshapiro "I love this idea! It really highlights that this kind of intervention could be a way to make the diffuse impacts of indoor air quality quantifiable..." | Read more » almost 8 years ago
warren "I managed to cobble together an Arduino program to try this out: Button turns on one of two fans, randomly. On second press, it reveals which had ..." | Read more » almost 8 years ago
nshapiro "Absolutely! I just heard back from the UCSD guys and they spent about $200 on 10 kits including plants. Looking forward to seeing your sketches an..." | Read more » almost 8 years ago
warren "Hi, Nick - i had a bunch of ideas building on the remediation kit that I'm hoping to post sketches and notes on today. Eager to hear your thoughts! " | Read more » almost 8 years ago
nshapiro "i think @Zengirl2 has some ideas on this and has maybe been working on a tutorial with a low cost model. I will also ask colleagues at PIAO who mad..." | Read more » almost 8 years ago
liz "how much do you think building 10 of these at a time would cost? Where might there be savings? " | Read more » almost 8 years ago