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Sophia, a local student, had a work experience week with us. Here are her thoughts on her time with In2Air

On my week of work experience I took part in the In2Air research project. During my time I was loaned one of the indoor air quality monitors and monitored the quality of air in my kitchen. In order to do this, I kept a time activity diary to measure CO2 and concentrations of particles in the air (PM2.5) during and after certain activities such as cooking. On Shrove Tuesday I found that when frying pancakes, PM2.5 concentrations reached 1511 µg/m3 (very high). Post cooking with a window open, internal door open and kitchen fan on, approximately 3.5 hours later, PM2.5 concentrations dropped to 10.0 µg/m3. This was fascinating as I have now become more aware of certain activities (such as cooking) which can increase the particle levels in a monitored room, increasing air pollution.

I have also observed that at 10:00pm at night CO2 levels were 700 ppm in comparison to 8:00 the next morning where CO2 increased to 1806 ppm (fairly high). This was due to breathing and me being in the room overnight, with no windows open. This project is extremely impactful as by collecting air quality and health and wellbeing information, public health can be improved. Exploring my own concentrations of fine particulate matter and CO2 has led to me becoming more conscious of activities which are common sources of pollutants which negatively impact air quality.

After my week of work experience, I have recognised the importance of indoor air quality within my home. To stop indoor air becoming “stuffy” I have recently been changing my behaviour such as opening more windows. This will increase ventilation and bring in clean, fresh air into rooms which is picked up by the indoor quality air monitor and the concentrations are presented as being green (healthy limits). By using a simple method like opening windows, it is possible to have fantastic indoor air quality. Other strategies include efficient cleaning practices e.g. using a damp cloth to minimise dust. This will reduce PM in the air. Turning on indoor fans also helps reduce PM and CO2 inside by improving ventilation.

As a result of this incredible week, I have learned lots about the importance of research into air quality to improve public health. Research such as In2Air raises awareness and provides evidence for individuals to take action to improve indoor air quality. Ventilation methods and simple monitoring strategies can be easily used in daily home life which drastically improves air quality, therefore improving public health and quality of life for local residents and individuals.