A Quest for Affordable Personalized Atmospheric Exposure Estimates

Abstract

From the moment of our birth until our very last breath, we spend our lives immersed in a mixture of gases and aerosols known as "the air" or "atmosphere". Our largest organ, our skin, as well as our eyes are constantly exposed to the atmosphere, and an average adult inhales and exhales close to ten litres of air each minute while at rest, while during heavy exercise, this volume will rise steeply and could be as high as 150-250 litres per minute. Unsurprisingly, our well-being is closely connected to the characteristics of the air: some of the gases and chemicals suspended therein are toxic, others may cause allergic reactions, and our bodies are also sensitive to changes in e.g. humidity or oxygen levels as well as to changes in the air temperature and pressure. With the exception of the relatively rare cases of immediate lethal dangers (e.g. due to fires or chemical accidents), physical and chemical changes in atmospheric conditions can result in: (1) immediate or short term risks including skin and eye irritation, drying and watering of the eyes, respiratory difficulties, headaches and general feeling of malaise; and (2) medium to long term health damage to respiratory and immune systems. Moreover, sensitivity to these changes is both very different from one person to another and in many cases highly dependent on the individual’s patterns of behaviour. Yet, while each individual has a unique relationship to the environment, the information on the state of atmosphere and related hazards available today is entirely generic, and by no means personalised. We intend to address this lack of individualized information through the development of an affordable “Personal Environmental Information System” (PEIS). This system will allow users to estimate personalized exposure to various atmospheric stressors as well as to calculate the personalized risk index resulting from these hazards, individual sensitivities and individual behavioural patterns.