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Indoor Air Pollution Meter

Aprovecho Research Center scientists Nordica MacCarty, Karl Walter and Damon Ogle, created the IAP Meter to make in-field testing easy and accurate. The IAP Meter logs concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter (PM2.5) in the air in homes. It can collect data for up to a week under normal conditions.

A unique feature of the IAP Meter is that the meter can also be worn in a backpack with a sampling point near the mouth/nose of the user for real-time personal exposure monitoring.

The IAP Meter is a small box that takes in an air sample and measures it every 30 seconds. It stores the measurements automatically in a SD memory card for later transfer to a computer. No connection to a computer is necessary to launch or read the meter, and processing the data later is very easy.

There are several standard scenarios where the IAP can be used for scientifically valid testing:

WBT – In a test kitchen, where different stove models are measured in the same room.

CCT – Asking local cooks to prepare a common meal on both the traditional and improved stoves while measuring the air quality in the room or the exposure to the cook.

KPT – Once a stove design performs well in the WBT and CCT, a KPT is performed on stoves that have bveen disseminated. In this test, a random sample of cooks with the new stove are asked to allow air quality or exposure measurements for several days at a time before and after installation of the new stove. In this way, real-world use of the stove is measured without tester intervention.

The IAP meter has been shown to produce readings as accurate as a nephelometer, a device used in high-level laboratories. In fact, the IAP Meter is calibrated against the Aprovecho laboratory nephelometer. These light-scattering PM instruments favor particles of a smaller size, effectively measuring PM2.5 and below.

Performance of the meter is as follows:

Resolution: 50 ug/m3 PM2.5, 0.1 ppm CO

Maximum Concentration = 60,000 ug/m3 PM2.5, 500 ppm CO

Brochure (PDF)

Instruction Manua l (PDF)

Specifications

Weight: IAP Meter 2.3 kg (5lb)

Dimensions: 16 x 9.3 x 7 cm (7 X 4.3 X 3 inches).

Power: 120/220 VAC battery charger

Software

Data is taken on a simple SD card for processing later when back from the field. Processing software is written in Visual Basic for Microsoft Excel 2003 for Windows and consists of a simple spreadsheet that incororporates and processes data. A PC with Microsoft Excel must be available for running the system. Macros must be enabled in the Security settings for software to function.

Data Input Sheet:

Example test plot: