AI Summary
The article discusses the importance of monitoring black carbon levels in regions with poor air quality, like the greater Salt Lake City area. Standard sensors are expensive and not widely available, leading to monitoring gaps. A portable and more affordable sensor developed by the University of Utah proved to be as accurate as traditional instruments in measuring black carbon concentrations. This sensor could help establish accurate observation networks for health risk assessment and public health policy development.
Black carbon is up to 25 times more hazardous to human health than other airborne particles of a similar size. Standard sensors are expensive and burdensome, resulting in sparse coverage in regions infamous for poor air quality, such as the greater Salt Lake City area. A University of Utah-led study found that a portable, more affordable sensor recorded black carbon concentrations as accurately as the most widely used instrument for monitoring black carbon in real time. The portable sensor could help expand an accurate observation network to establish disease risk and create effective public health policies.