Shreya Halbe

Institute: Jasper High School, Plano Independent School District. shreya13.halbe@gmail.com

Abstract

Indoor Air Pollution, an overlooked aspect of Air Pollution, causes 1.6 million premature deaths annually. COVID-19 pandemic has augmented concerns about this issue, as many people are indoors and more cleaning chemicals are being used. This research focused on investigating correlations between Particulate Matter (PM) content in response to exposure to common aerosols and Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in an indoor setting. It was hypothesized that PM content will increase in presence of aerosols and VOCs exponentially. The data collected proved the hypothesis and depicted correlations and trends. Analysis of data collected during the exposure of Sodium Hypochlorite as a VOC versus as an aerosol spray depicted that VOCs were much more potent than Aerosols in increasing PM content. The findings from this project can be applied to improving product designing and formulations, designing indoor spaces, and in developing affordable air quality monitoring systems as an inbuilt feature to all homes. The project is an attempt to offer insight into this less-recognized yet highly crucial aspect of Particulate Matter and its interaction with the environment.

Keywords: Raspberry Pi Technology, Indoor air pollution, volatile organic compounds, Particulate Matter, Aerosols,