Air Aware IoT: Low-Cost Sensor Solutions for Urban Pollution Monitoring and Public Health

Air pollution, especially in cities, has a considerable impact on human health and contributes to global morbidity and mortality rates. With urban populations increasing and public awareness of air quality being low, there is an urgent need for low-cost portable devices to monitor airborne contaminants in indoor and outdoor settings. This study presents the design and functionality of a low-cost, portable device capable of measuring major air quality parameters, such as gaseous pollutants (CO₂, O₃, TVOC, and PM₂.₅) and physical indicators (i.e., temperature and humidity). The device connects various sensors to an ATmega microcontroller via a signal conditioning circuit, thereby solving current, format, and speed incompatibilities. The data processed by the microcontroller was sent to various devices using IoT technology. The device accurately measures ozone and PM₂.₅, temperature, and humidity with precisions of ±5.02 μg.m- ³, ±7.94 μg.m- ³, ±0.67°C, and ±1.68%, respectively. The results demonstrate the dependability of the system for air quality monitoring, providing an affordable and accessible alternative for environmental surveillance. This innovation has the potential to raise public awareness and enable large-scale pollution monitoring, making it a useful tool for minimizing the negative consequences of air pollution on public health.