New app measures particulate matter pollution when cycling and walking

Cycling and walking are healthy in principle. However, exposure to particulate matter can impair outdoor activities. The Research Center for Information Technology (FZI) in Karlsruhe has developed an app that makes it possible to determine individual exposure to particulate matter.

Among other things, particulate matter can trigger respiratory diseases and other illnesses. However, a reliable, individual data basis for assessing the health risk for active road users has been lacking until now. This is what the app is supposed to do. "Until now, we knew where the air was polluted – but not how much people were actually breathing it", said project manager Christoph Becker. The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the company IDEA System, which specializes in dosimetry, were also involved in the project.

The app measures the user's exposure to particulate matter per distance traveled. To achieve this, it determines the location every ten seconds and retrieves the current particulate matter concentration for this location from Google. It also records the current driving or walking speed.

The app divides the route into sections of approximately the same speed and first calculates the necessary parameters for the inhalation function. From this, it determines the average breathing volume using the empirical inhalation function and thus, considering the current particulate pollution, the amount of particles breathed for each section and finally for the entire route.

The breathing volume increases during exercise

The average breathing volume when walking and riding different types of bicycles was determined by sports scientists at KIT in exercise measurements. Body height, weight, speed and terrain profile were considered. At rest, a person breathes in around 6 to 8 liters of air per minute. When walking or cycling, the value rises to 40 to 50 liters, which increases the absorption of particulate matter, said Stefan Altmann from KIT. "In addition, the volume of air inhaled is highly dependent on individual factors. Users of the app therefore have the option of specifying these to enable a precise estimate."

In addition to pedestrians and cyclists, the initiators also see urban planners as a target group: "Pedestrians and cyclists are a risk group because they are often in direct contact. If they know which routes are heavily used, they can actively reduce their risk," said Richard Doerfel, founder and CEO of IDEA System. "Conversely, the transport infrastructure can be optimized by measuring results from citizens."

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), particulate matter is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. Particles between 2.5 and 10 micrometers in size play an important role in the development of respiratory diseases, cancer and cardiovascular diseases, or exacerbate existing ones. However, people on the street are not only exposed to particulate matter. The initiators are therefore developing their app further to include other pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides.

(wpl)