Technical Reports and Journal Articles on Air Sensor Technology
EPA regularly publishes technical reports that provide summaries of research and other findings related to air sensor technologies. Researchers also publish results of their studies in peer-reviewed scientific journals. A list of highlighted reports and journal articles are provided below.
On this page:
For other publications and presentations: visit EPA’s Science Inventory.
Technical Reports
2024
Outlines recommendations for evaluating the performance of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) air sensors for use in ambient, outdoor environments for non-regulatory supplemental and informational monitoring applications.
2023
Outlines recommendations for evaluating the performance of air sensors measuring particles with diameters of 10 micrometers or less (PM10) for use in ambient, outdoor environments for non-regulatory supplemental and informational monitoring applications.
2022
Supports users in planning and collecting air quality measurements using air sensors. Includes updated content and new topics that incorporate best practices, current knowledge, and recommendations to guide the use of air sensors.
2021
Progress on LDAR Innovation - Report on Research Under CRADA #914-16
Summarizes efforts from a collaborative research agreement in which fugitive leak detection approaches were developed and tested for understanding volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutant fugitive emissions from a refinery.
Outlines recommendations for evaluating the performance of ozone air sensors for use in ambient, outdoor environments for non-regulatory supplemental and informational monitoring applications.
Outlines recommendations for evaluating the performance of fine particulate matter air sensors for use in ambient, outdoor environments for non-regulatory supplemental and informational monitoring applications.
2020
Summarizes a supplemental evaluation of peer-reviewed literature from 2017 to 2019 related to air sensors to inform the development of performance target for air sensors.
Phoenix as a Test Bed for Air Quality Sensors (P-TAQS) Sensor Pod Design, Operation, and Maintenance
Provides information about the design, operation, and maintenance of a custom-built sensor pod measuring fine particulate matter, black carbon, and meteorological data that was deployed in Phoenix, Arizona, for the P-TAQS study.
AirMapper Design, Operation, and Maintenance
Provides information about the design, operation and maintenance of the custom-built AirMapper sensor which measures particulate matter, carbon dioxide, noise, GPS, and meteorological data.
2018
Peer Review and Supporting Literature Review of Air Sensor Technology Performance Targets
Summarizes an evaluation of peer-reviewed literature and other sources related to air sensors to identify performance attributes and metrics needed to obtain data for specific applications or purposes.
Spatial and Temporal Trends of Air Pollutants in the South Coast Basin Using Low Cost Sensors
Describes the deployment and laboratory evaluation of a custom-built and low-cost sensor device that measures fine particulate matter, ozone, temperature and relative humidity.
2017
Performance Evaluation of the United Nations Environment Programme Air Quality Monitoring Unit
Summarizes a 30-day field evaluation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) sensor pod to establish basic performance characteristics.
Journal Articles (Peer-reviewed and Non peer-reviewed)
2025
Evaluation of Long-Term Performance of Six PM2.5 Sensor Types, Sensors, 2025
Describes efforts to evaluate six models of PM2.5 air sensors at seven air quality monitoring sites across the U.S. between July 2019 and January 2021. The paper describes common sensor data issues and describes performance using U.S.EPA’s performance targets. Findings can be used to improve sensor performance and reliability.
2024
Summarizes perspectives presented at the U.S.EPA’s 2023 Air Sensors Quality Assurance Workshop. The paper provides a set of common quality assurance and quality control actions and identifies the vital next steps needed to enable high quality sensor data capable of protecting human health.
Summarizes results from traditional sampling methods and lower-cost air sensor packages with a focus on fine particulate matter, black carbon, and trace metals from the KC-TRAQS project in Kansas City, Kansas.
Summarizes two pilot studies, supported by the use of air sensors, to quantify the impact of do-it-yourself and comparable lower-cost commercial portable air cleaners on indoor fine particle mass concentrations (PM2.5) in a tribal community exposed to wildfire and wood stove smoke.
Compares two collocation approaches for mobile air sensors including a standard stationary/parked collocation assessment technique and a drive-in-the-vicinity approach. The two techniques were compared on a set of mobile ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and nitric oxide sensors during a short deployment in Denver, CO and for a year-long deployment in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA.
Summarizes development and evaluation of the Vehicle Add-on Mobile Monitoring System (VAMMS), a lightweight, universally attachable mobile PM2.5 monitoring system designed to provide supplemental, real-time air quality information during wildfire incidents and prescribed burning activities. The system was assessed by comparison to nearby stationary low-cost sensors and regulatory monitors during two large wildfires in the western U.S. and during one small, prescribed burn in the Midwest.
2023
Summarizes work done to determine the change in PurpleAir PM2.5 sensor performance over time to better understand the lifespan of these sensors, to determine when they should be serviced or replaced, and when measurements from these devices should or should not be used for various applications.
2022
Correction and Accuracy of PurpleAir PM2.5 Measurements for Extreme Wildfire Smoke, Sensors, 2022
Builds upon the 2021 paper to extend the US-wide correction for PurpleAir fine particulate matter (PM2.5) sensor data for high concentrations. The extended correction improves PM2.5 accuracy during high concentration smoke events (>300 µg/m3). The methods developed in this paper can be used to correct and evaluate other air sensor types for similar applications.
Describes the potential of air sensors to collect data that can reveal air quality and exposure disparities especially when community organizations build trust in environmental decision-making by using them collaboratively with government agencies and researchers.
Describes the SPod, a novel fenceline total volatile organic compound sensor paired with real-time wind measurements, and summarizes the performance of this device during a long-term field study near chemical facilities in west, Louisville KY including a description of the novel analysis approaches and comparison to canister samples.
Evaluation of Cairpol and Aeroqual air sensors in biomass burning plumes, Atmosphere, 2022
Summarizes the 1-minute performance of Cairpol and Aeroqual air sensors measuring carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in fresh biomass burning plumes in field and laboratory environments.
2021
Summarizes the Wildland Fire Sensor Challenge and results from the performance evaluation of the winning sensor systems under different temperature, relative humidity and exposure conditions.
Summarizes the 2019 Air Sensors Workshop on Deliberating Performance Targets for Air Quality Sensors.
Summarizes a U.S. wide correction developed for 24-hour averaged fine particulate matter data from PurpleAir sensors that reduces error and bias in the sensor measurements.
2020
Provides an overview of the role of air sensors in exposure science and potential approaches to expand the research.
Field evaluation of low-cost particulate matter sensors for measuring wildfire smoke, Sensors, 2020
Summarizes the deployment of three different sensors collocated with reference monitors near wildfires and prescribed fires in the U.S.
2019
Provides an overview of the state of air monitoring technology in low- and middle- income countries and how air sensors might be integrated.
Provides a suggested terminology to describe different data processing levels applied to air sensor data.
Summarizes a network deployment of particulate matter air sensors in Memphis, Tennessee.
Observed data quality concerns involving air sensors, Atmospheric Environment: X, 2019
Provides examples of data quality issues associated with particulate matter sensors and total volatile organic carbon sensors.
Provides an overview of the Rubbertown project in Louisville, Kentucky, and use of emerging next generation emission measurements to understand fugitive emissions of volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants.
Provides an overview of the KC-TRAQS project in Kansas City, Kansas, and initial results from air sensor measurements focusing on fine particulate matter and black carbon.
2018
Air sensors 2018: Deliberating performance targets, EM Magazine, 2018
Provides highlights from EPA’s Air Sensor 2018 Deliberating Performance Targets Workshop.
Provides a broad overview of the current state of air sensor technologies for exposure assessment.
Describes the deployment of a custom-built air sensor system for measuring fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide as part of citizen science project in Puerto Rico.
Summarizes results from the deployment of particulate matter air sensors in two different environments – Atlanta, Georgia (US) and Hyderabad, India.
Summarizes a field evaluation of an air sensor in Durham and Research Triangle Park, NC (US) and Kanpur, India.
Summarizes a 7-month field evaluation of air sensors in Denver, Colorado.
Describes two citizen science environmental health assessments along with advice and lessons learns on public communication for citizen science projects.
Summarizes emerging issues related to using data adjustment algorithms on air sensor measurements.
Provides a commentary on how social science can be used to understand perceptions, attitudes, behaviors, and other human factors that may drive the use of air sensors and the data sensors generate.
2017
Low-Cost Air Quality Monitoring Tools: From Research to Practice (A Workshop Summary), Sensors, 2017
Summarizes a 2017 workshop with practitioners who work with air sensors to collect air quality measurements.
Review of challenges, successes, and emerging tools as discussed by the Air Sensors Health Group (ASHG), a collaboration of numerous federal agencies.
Summarizes a study using small-scale sensors and samplers for air pollution emission characterization.
Low-cost sensor POD design considerations, EM Magazine, 2017
Summarizes design considerations for custom-built sensor pods.
Summarizes a collaboration with EPA and the Ironbound Community Corporation to monitor air pollution using custom-built air sensor pods.
Characterizing air quality in a rapidly changing world, EM Magazine, 2017
Discusses projects that collect large volumes of air quality data around the U.S. and how that data collection fits into air quality management and characterization.