Pillar I: Technology Development
New tools for more detailed measurements of air
Aim & motivation
In Pillar I, we aim to develop new and improved technologies to measure the substances in the air that people are exposed to in their daily lives, also called the air component of the exposome. Societal transitions, such as the shift to electric driving and the reduction of fossil fuels, change our exposure to polluted air. Currently, we lack the tools to measure how the composition and properties of the air vary in space and time in enough detail to understand what people are exposed to. This makes it difficult to investigate the relationship between exposure and harm.
Activities & methods
We deliver tools that can collect and measure chemical and biological substances in air in greater details and provide a more in-depth characterization of pollutants. These tools are designed to be accurate, scalable, accepted by users, and easy to combine with other methods. Examples include allergen screening tests, scans that map the exposome by identifying substances in the air using mass spectrometry, and microspectroscopic techniques that use light to examine small particles. Although developed for air, several technologies can also be applied to study exposure to environmental factors via food, water and soil.
Impact & role in ExpACT
These new tools help us understand how exposure to substances in the air relates to health effects. Citizens, governments, and companies use the tools to measure air quality in real-time in four different contexts in Pillar III: the city, a rural area, an industrial environment, and the workplace. This gives them detailed and relevant knowledge that enables them to make informed decisions and take action to reduce our exposure to harmful pollutants. Interactions with Pillar II and Pillar III ensure that the people who use the tools are involved in their development from the start. This makes the tools more likely to be trusted and adopted in practice.
