SBIR-STTR Award

Exposure to air pollution has many detrimental effects on human health. Although the risks of air pollution exposure are well known, personal exposures are rarely evaluated due to the cost of measurement. Reducing the fixed costs associated with purchasing personal exposure sampling equipment would allow more industries (as well as individual citizens) to measure air quality. Understanding the pollutants to which individuals are exposed and where those exposures occur, allows mitigation and remediation steps to be taken. The result is a reduction in air pollution-associated disease burden. From an economic perspective, this can reduce medical costs and co-pays as well as lost production time from medical leave. In addition to high purchase prices (typically $500-$1500), the personal sampling pumps currently commercially available are hampered by a number of technological limitations. By using positive displacement lobe pump technology that is ubiquitous in other industries but which has yet to be applied to personal exposure measurements the limitations of current sample pumps can be addressed while simultaneously being produced at a fraction of the cost of current technologies. During Phase I, pump geometry and design will be optimized for performance, flow control mechanisms will be evaluated, and low cost manufacturing options compared with the intention of developing a reliable sampling pump with a bill-of-material price target of $70. By understanding the performance/price tradeoffs of different design and manufacturing options the team will be well positioned to transition the functional pump prototypes into commercially viable products during Phase II.

Public Health Relevance Statement:


Public Health Relevance:
Nearly every active sampling technique for workplace aerosol and vapor exposure assessment relies on the use of a personal sampling pump. Sample pumps that are currently available in the marketplace, however, are too expensive for widespread deployment. Development of a low-cost sample pump, as an alternative to the state-of-the-art diaphragm pump, will increase our ability to assess exposures and protect worker health.

Project Terms:
No Project Terms available.

Exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution is the fifth leading cause of premature disease and death on the planet and the number one environmental risk factor for the global burden of disease (posing a greater danger than all other environmental risk factors combined) according to the World Health Organization. Despite the growing need (and demand), the state-of-the-art for assessing personal exposure to PM is based on decades old technology that is inefficient, burdensome, and expensive. The physical burden posed by these monitors (noise, visual aesthetic, and weight) make them difficult to wear. The cost of these monitors also prevents air pollution exposure monitoring at scales relevant to epidemiologic research and occupational hazard surveillance. This Phase II proposal will develop and commercialize a novel, lightweight, and inexpensive personal sampling technology based upon ultrasonic piezoelectric pumping modules. The ultrasonic personal aerosol sampler (UPAS) has the potential to gain a wide share of the air pollution monitoring market. AST proposes developing this sampler into a commercial prototype that is inexpensive (<$200 bill-of-material cost at scale), provides both time-integrated (filter-based) and real-time measurements, is accurate (flow control and PM sampling efficiency within 4% of reference), compact, lightweight (<200g), provides better subject fitment, has no annual maintenance requirements, and virtually silent in operation. Furthermore, the technology will be versatile – able to collect PM2.5 (along with other relevant size fractions such as PM4 and PM10, respirable, and inhalable PM) for sample durations of up to 24 hrs. Taken together, these innovative aspects suggest that the UPAS will be highly competitive with potential for rapid and substantial market penetration. Three aims are proposed: (1) Integrate a novel, real-time PM sensor into the UPAS hardware/firmware; (2) Develop a suite of different plug-and-play size-selective inlets to make the UPAS more versatile and optimize the UPAS for weight, power, performance, and usability; (3) Validate performance of the prototype through laboratory and field testing. !

Public Health Relevance Statement:
! Project Narrative Nearly every active sampling technique for workplace aerosol and vapor exposure assessment relies on the use of a separate personal sampling pump and a tubing-connected sampler. Such state-of-art sampling equipment has a cost, size, weight and operational complexity that form a substantial barrier to truly widespread deployment. We propose to develop an innovative, low-cost, low-burden, and fully integrated (one- piece) sampler with enhanced data management and new functionalities to greatly improve the ability to assess exposures and protect worker health. !

Project Terms:
No Project Terms available.