Mobile health sensor for personal exposure assessment

Air pollution is one of the biggest challenges people face today. It is closely related to people's health condition. The agencies set up standards to regulate the air pollution. However, many of the pollutants under the regulation level may still result in adverse health effect. On the other hand, it is not clear the exact mechanism of air pollutants and its health effect. So it is difficult for the health centers to advise people how to prevent the air pollutant related diseases. It is of vital importance for both the agencies and the health centers to have a better understanding of the air pollution. Based on these needs, it is crucial to establish mobile health sensors for personal exposure assessment. Here, two sensing principles are illustrated: the tuning fork platform and the colorimetric platform. Mobile devices based on these principles have been built. The detections of ozone, NOX, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde have been shown. An integrated device of nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide is introduced. Fan is used for sample delivery instead pump and valves to reduce the size, cost and power consumption. Finally, the future work is discussed.