Wearable Ultrafine Particle and Noise Monitoring Sensors Jointly Measure Personal Co-Exposures in a Pediatric Population

Epidemiological studies have linked both traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) and noise to adverse health outcomes, including increased blood pressure, myocardial infarction, and respiratory health. The high correlation between these environmental exposures and their measurement challenges have constrained research on how simultaneous exposure to TRAP and traffic noise interact and possibly enhance each other’s effect. The objective of this study was to deploy two novel personal sensors for measuring ultrafine particles (UFP, <100 nm diameter) and noise to concurrently monitor real-time exposures. Personal UFP monitors (PUFP, Enmont, LLC) were paired with NEATVIBEwear™ (Noise Exposure, Activity-Time and Vibration wearable), a personal noise monitoring device developed by the authors (Douglas Leaffer, Steve Doroff). A field-test of PUFP monitors co-deployed with NEATVIBEwear logged UFP, noise and ambient temperature exposure levels at 1-s resolution in an adolescent population in Cincinnati, OH to measure real-time exposures in microenvironments (transit, home, school). Preliminary results show that the concurrent measurement of noise exposures with UFP is feasible in a sample of physically active adolescent participants. Personal measurements of UFP and noise, measured prospectively in future studies, will enable researchers to investigate the independent and/or joint-effects of these health-relevant environmental exposures.