Site-Specific Calibration of Low-Cost Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 Monitors in the United States: A Comparison of Industrial and Non-Industrial Communities.

IF 2.5 4区环境科学与生态学 Q3 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Aerosol and Air Quality Research Pub Date : 2026-01-01 Epub Date: 2026-03-25 DOI:10.1007/s44408-026-00112-7

Jung Hyun Lee, Subin Han, Chang Geun Lee, Tim DaSilva, Carolina Gonzalez-Canas, Jon-Paul McCool, Kenneth L Brown, Jodi Allen, Graham F Peaslee, Jae Hong Park, Julie Peller, Christopher R Iceman, Ellen M Wells

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Particulate matter (PM) poses a significant public health concern, particularly in industrialized communities. While modern sophisticated air monitors like those deployed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) provide accurate 24-h PM2.5 (PM ≤ 2.5 µm) data, limited spatial and temporal coverage may create monitoring gaps. Low-cost monitors, such as a PurpleAir monitor (PA-II), offer an accessible alternative; however, their accuracy can be influenced by local environmental conditions and PM characteristics. This study evaluated the site-specific performance of PA-II in an industrial region within northern Lake County (N = 6) and a suburban region of Tippecanoe County (N = 4), both in Indiana, United States. As a reference measurement, a deployable particulate sampler (DPS) was co-located with each PA-II. For microscopic analysis, PM was collected on a glass substrate. PA-II data were assessed in raw form and following calibration using two methods, with performance assessed by root mean square error (RMSE) and the coefficient of determination (R²). Microscopic analysis revealed the presence of dark, irregular particles near industrial sites in northern Lake County, which may affect sensor readings by altering light-scattering efficiency. Raw PA-II data showed weak absolute agreement with DPS measurements in northern Lake County (RMSE: 2.04 µg/m³, R²: 0.25), while the US-wide calibration exhibited the best performance (RMSE: 1.40 µg/m³; R²: 0.67). In contrast, raw data showed the best performance in Tippecanoe County (RMSE: 0.62 µg/m³; R²: 0.94). These findings highlight the relevance of site-specific calibration approaches to enhance the accuracy of low-cost PM2.5 monitors, especially in environmentally impacted communities.

Graphical abstract:

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s44408-026-00112-7.

Abstract Image

查看原文本刊更多论文

美国低成本颗粒物（PM） 2.5监测仪的定点校准：工业和非工业社区的比较。

颗粒物（PM）是一个重大的公共卫生问题，特别是在工业化社区。虽然像美国环境保护署（US EPA）部署的现代精密空气监测仪可以提供精确的24小时PM2.5 （PM≤2.5µm）数据，但有限的空间和时间覆盖可能会造成监测空白。低成本监视器，如PurpleAir监视器（PA-II），提供了一个可访问的替代方案；然而，它们的准确性会受到当地环境条件和PM特征的影响。本研究评估了美国印第安纳州Lake县北部的一个工业区（N = 6）和Tippecanoe县的一个郊区（N = 4）中PA-II的场地特异性性能。作为参考测量，可展开颗粒采样器（DPS）与每个PA-II一起放置。为了进行显微分析，PM被收集在玻璃基板上。采用两种方法对原始形式和校正后的PA-II数据进行评估，以均方根误差（RMSE）和决定系数（R2）评估其性能。显微镜分析显示，在莱克县北部的工业基地附近存在黑色的不规则颗粒，这可能通过改变光散射效率来影响传感器读数。原始PA-II数据与Lake县北部的DPS测量结果的绝对一致性较弱（RMSE: 2.04µg/m3, R2: 0.25），而美国范围的校准表现出最好的性能（RMSE: 1.40µg/m3, R2: 0.67）。原始数据显示，Tippecanoe县的表现最佳（RMSE: 0.62µg/m3; R2: 0.94）。这些发现强调了特定地点校准方法的相关性，以提高低成本PM2.5监测仪的准确性，特别是在受环境影响的社区。图片摘要：补充资料：在线版本包含补充资料，网址为10.1007/s44408-026-00112-7。

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来源期刊

Aerosol and Air Quality Research ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES-

CiteScore

8.30

自引率

10.00%

发文量

163

审稿时长

3 months

期刊介绍： The international journal of Aerosol and Air Quality Research (AAQR) covers all aspects of aerosol science and technology, atmospheric science and air quality related issues. It encompasses a multi-disciplinary field, including: - Aerosol, air quality, atmospheric chemistry and global change; - Air toxics (hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), persistent organic pollutants (POPs)) - Sources, control, transport and fate, human exposure; - Nanoparticle and nanotechnology; - Sources, combustion, thermal decomposition, emission, properties, behavior, formation, transport, deposition, measurement and analysis; - Effects on the environments; - Air quality and human health; - Bioaerosols; - Indoor air quality; - Energy and air pollution; - Pollution control technologies; - Invention and improvement of sampling instruments and technologies; - Optical/radiative properties and remote sensing; - Carbon dioxide emission, capture, storage and utilization; novel methods for the reduction of carbon dioxide emission; - Other topics related to aerosol and air quality.