Could air pollution be worse across the street? These are the tools to find out.

Your support powers solutions-focused climate reporting — keeping it free for everyone. All donations DOUBLED for a limited time. Give now in under 45 seconds.
Secure · Tax deductible · Takes 45 Seconds

Stories like this don’t tell themselves.

Make others like it possible. Your support powers solutions-focused climate reporting — keeping it free for everyone. Give now in under 45 seconds.
Secure · Tax deductible · Takes 45 Seconds

If you’re curious about your own neighborhood’s air quality, you can also build your own air sensor! We made a video showing how to build a DIY air sensor from a Raspberry Pi computer. You can learn more about the project from Pimoroni as well.

Several studies have made use of similar DIY air sensors, like this study measuring black carbon in Oakland, or this project measuring air pollution around the world. Graeme Carvlin (featured in the video) even built his own network of air sensors to study air pollution in Imperial County in Southern California.

Grist thanks its sponsors. Become one.

To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. Here's How

Sources:

Graeme Carvlin | Puget Sound Clean Air Agency

Marcel Jones | Associated Resource Council Rec Tech program

 Air sensor lending library | Puget Sound Clean Air Agency

Grist thanks its sponsors. Become one.

To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. Here's How

Air sensor toolbox | EPA

“A distributed network of 100 black carbon sensors for 100 days of air quality monitoring in West Oakland, California” | Caubel, et al.