Recent studies have shown that air pollution has a negative impact
on people’s health, especially for patients with respiratory and cardiac diseases (e.g. COPD, asthma, ischemic heart disease). Although the
re are already many air quality monitoring stations in major cities, such as London, these stations are sparsely located, and the periodic collection of information is insufficient to provide the granularity
needed to assess the environmental risk for an individual (e.g. to avoid exacerbation). Wearable devices, on the other hand, are more
suitable in this context, providing a better estimation of the air quality
in the proximity of the person. Therefore, relevant warnings and information on health risks can be provided in real-time. As a proof of concept, we have developed a wearable sensor for continuous monitoring of air quality around the user, and a preliminary
study was conducted to validate the sensor and assess the air
quality in London underground stations. Based on the PM2.5 (particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5μm), temperature and location information, a
model is generated for predicting the air quality of each station
at different times. Our preliminary results have shown that
there are significant differences in air quality among stations
and metro lines. It also demonstrates that wearable sensors can
provide necessary information for users to make travel arrangements
that minimize their exposure to polluted air.