Evaluating Asthma Symptoms in Relation to Indoor Air Quality: Insights from IoT-enabled Monitoring

Mishra, Bhupesh Kumar; Thakker, Dhavalkumar; John, Reena; Kureshi, Rameez Raja; Ahmad, Baseer; Jones, Will; Li, Xiao

Abstract

Air pollution appears in the form of outdoor air quality and indoor air quality (IAQ). Particulate Matters (PM2.5 and PM10) and CO2, among many air pollutants, are responsible for worsening IAQ. IAQ has been linked to lung illnesses such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer. This linkage is related to how much any individual gets exposed to poor IAQ, individuals’ daily indoor activities, and related health risks. The study presented in this paper focused on the analysis and identification of the relationship between IAQ, daily indoor activities and health concerns and their effect on breathing issues in five asthma patients in Bradford, UK. IAQ data were collected using an IoT-enabled, low-cost device capable of monitoring CO2, PM2.5, PM10, relative humidity, and temperature. In addition, indoor daily activities and breathing issues that relate to asthma severity are also recorded using a digital platform. These recorded data are statistically analysed using correlation and measure of central tendency. Results indicate a strong positive correlation between breathing issues and indoor measured pollutants (0.72, 0.62 and 0.63 correlation coefficient with CO2, PM10 and PM2.5 respectively). IAQ is strongly correlated with indoor activity in terms of window opening hours and breathing issues as asthma symptoms. It was observed that when the mean readings of PM2.5, PM10 and CO2 are higher (22μg/m3, 24μg/m3 and 700 ppm respectively - in this study), the asthma patients reported experiencing worsening symptoms. This study highlights the importance of managing IAQ and window-opening habits to potentially mitigate asthma symptoms and improve patient care.

Citation

Mishra, B. K., Thakker, D., John, R., Kureshi, R. R., Ahmad, B., Jones, W., & Li, X. (2023, December). Evaluating Asthma Symptoms in Relation to Indoor Air Quality: Insights from IoT-enabled Monitoring. Presented at 4th International Conference on Distributed Sensing and Intelligent Systems (ICDSIS 2023), Dubai, UAE

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (published)
• Conference Name: 4th International Conference on Distributed Sensing and Intelligent Systems (ICDSIS 2023)
• Start Date: Dec 21, 2023
• End Date: Dec 23, 2023
• Acceptance Date: Nov 1, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Jan 26, 2024
• Publication Date: Aug 30, 2024
• Deposit Date: Dec 10, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 14, 2025
• Journal: IET Conference Proceedings
• Electronic ISSN: 2732-4494
• Publisher: Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 2023
• Issue: 39
• Pages: 90-98
• Series ISSN: 2732-4494
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1049/icp.2024.0469
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4962081
• Publisher URL: https://digital-library.theiet.org/doi/10.1049/icp.2024.0469