TZOA air pollution monitor
Effects on peoples lives
5Ws
Types of industries
Types of economies
Neutral:
Negative:
Positive:
Who: Journeyman and electrician Kevin R. Hart and nurse Laura Moe
Where: They used the resources at Maker Labs which is a community workspace in their native city, Vancouver, British Columbia.
When: The creators started working on the project in 2013 - 2015. Although, it is still being improved upon.
Why: Laura Moe and Kevin R. Hart were environmental protection enthusiasts who wanted to focus their time on air pollution. They figured that by making a pocket size air pollution monitor that people could bring with them at all times when entering the outdoors, that this would provide information about the air in different areas for research in order to provide solutions for air pollution.
What: The TZOA air pollution monitor is a pocket sized monitor that measures the air pollution in the area you are in and submits it to the TZOA warehouse where it is transmitted and researched. There a six sensors to track your environment in real time.
Athletes can plan workouts for the least polluted routes and times of day
Not only does the TZOA help you monitor air quality in your daily life, but it also helps air quality experts research more about air quality . This also gives you something to feel good about because this way you are actually contributing to changing the world.
Parents can keep infants away from pockets of pollution
The six sensors:
Ambient light: This sensor lets you know how much light you are being exposed to and when. This is important because light is important for your sleep pattern
UV sensor: The UV sensor lets you know the UV index you are being exposed to.
Humidity: This sensor lets you know what the humidity in the air is like in the area you are in. Humidity is important because low humidity can increase your risk of colds, the flu, and other infections, so you should be exposed to medium humidity levels.
Particle counter: This sensor is important to know how polluted your environment is because it counts the particles as they enter the sensor.
Temperature -Indoor and outdoor-: This sensor tracks accurate temperature everywhere you go. Temperature plays a role in determining the air quality so this sensor is important.
Atmospheric pressure: This sensor tracks the atmospheric pressure wherever you go.
The TZOA has a sensor to detect particulate matter which is the most harmful pollution for human health according to the EPA and WHO. Particulate matter affects people with respiratory conditions, cardiovascular disease, and autoimmune disorders. By using the TZOA, these people will be able to detect these particulates so their conditions do not get worse and so that people who do not have these conditions will lessen the chances of getting them.
There is a humidity sensor in the TZOA which detects the humidity in the air in the area that you are in. Humidity is important but low humidity can increase your risk of colds, the flu, and other infections. This is why you should be exposed to medium humidity levels. The TZOA is able to detect the amount of humidity in the air so that you can decide whether you want to stay in that area or not.
The TZOA has a UV sensor which lets you know the UV index that you are being exposed to. This sensor is important to have in the TZOA because sun exposure can be very dangerous depending on how much sun there is and how long you stay in it. UVA rays are able to reach way into the deep layers on the skin, promote skin aging and wrinkles and also can increase the chance of skin cancer. Even if the sun can't be seen, these rays can still come through so it's important to always be aware of the UV index you are being exposed to.
The TZOA has a Temperature sensor which tracks accurate temperature everywhere you go. Temperature affects air quality in that sunshine can make some pollution go through chemical reactions, which produce smog. Rain can wash out water-soluable pollutants as well as particulate matter and higher temperatures help speed up chemical reactions in the air.
The TZOA has a sensor that lets you know how much light you are being exposed to and when. Studies have shown that female workers that work at night, where there is artifical light when it is dark, had a higher risk of breast cancer than women who do not work at night. This could make people wonder if we really need 24 hour stores everywhere since there are negative effects such as increased rates of breast cancer (for women) . It makes us question new inventions in the world today, such as these 24 hour markets.
Why is air quality so important?
Environmental impacts
Health impacts
When the air quality is poor, it can make asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis even worse. Meaning, it is able to increase the frequency and intensity of attacks. This is because pollutants can irritate the lungs so that they don't function as well. Poor air quality can also cause digestive issues, chest pain, dizziness, fever, watery eyes and lethargy. There are also some pollutants in the air that can worsen heart disease such as CO. Elderly people, children and people with medical illnesses often have lower immune systems or spend alot of time outside playing making them more likely to catch diseases or make their disease worse from poor air quality,
Poor air quality reduces the amount of crops produced. According to the EPA, $500 million dollars worth of crops within the United States was wasted due to poor air quality. Pollution also reduces tree growth, affects lumber production and forest maturity. When soil is contaminated with pollutants it can affect the soil and the soil can go into waterways which contaminates the food and water that we drink. Acid rain also comes from pollution which damages structures such as buildings and monuments.
TZOA has a sensor that tracks the atmospheric pressure wherever you go.Tracking this pressure is important because when there is an increase in the number and rates of pollutants in the air one factor contributing to this increase is atmospheric pressure. This increase is due to the overall rise in vehicle traffic but the meteorological conditions that have contributed to the change in the number and rates of pollutants include atmospheric pressure, along with temperature and humidity.
There is an app connected to your TZOA in order for you to see the air quality but this could lead to car accidents because if you are in your car and checking your TZOA app on your phone, someone could run you over because you are not paying attention. A quick solution to this could be to not check the air while you are in the car with your window open, but rather to check it while you are at your destination.
The TZOA is not yet available so you cannot purchase it yet as it is constantly being improved.
People may get too distracted from their lives as they worry about air pollution and may become addicted to their TZOA. Although air quality is something that people should be worried about, it should not be the only thing they should stress about. We should let the TZOA do the work and leave it to the experts, knowing that we are doing something to contribute to better air quality.
Developing
Developed
Traditional
Tertirary
Secondary
Primary
While you would know the air quality through the TZOA, you could not change the air quality as it would take longer to fix the issue that is poor air quality.
You would still have to go to school, work and your other activities as you are obligated to go to these commitments from when you signed up for them. The TZOA would not change these commitments even though the air quality may be bad in those areas.
Even though people would be on their TZOA app and could cause accidents, it could be argued that people are on their phones in the car anyways so you could say that it wouldn't affect this. Therefore, the TZOA is not the problem, people being distracted is the problem.
The TZOA air pollution monitor would be found in a primary industry because it detects the air quality right from the start. When something is from a primary industry it would be called the original product and is made by nature. Although the TZOA air pollution monitor is no t made by nature , it would still be primary because it detects the air quality right when you are in the area.
While the TZOA may be found in a primary industry, this primary industry would also be considered secondary as well. This is because the device is still made by humans, therefore making it not straight from the source and rather made from the source.
This device would not be in a Tertiary because it does not provide a service as it is a pocket sized device . People will soon be able to purchase the TZOA, but that goes for other inventions as well so just because people can purchase it does not make it tertiary .
This invention would be primarily developed because the heavy polluted industries associated with industrialization are no longer the primary means of economic growth. Since there is more of an emphasis on service industries and also quality of life as opposed to employment in factories and industries that tend to be more polluting, people are more concerned with issues of air, water and overall environmental sustainability. This is due to the fact that they have attained a standard of wealth that allows them to pursue issues like air quality rather than employment being their overriding concern.
The TZOA air pollution monitor would not fall under a traditional economy because there tends to be minimal pollution given that traditional societies are not consumption based but more sustainable based societies. They also would not have the technology and consumption needs, which come with industrialization, to be able to create a pollution detector.
In devolping economies , people are more concerned about the jobs that industrialization brings rather than focusing on environmental quality issues that could limit their ability to provide them with jobs and a better material standard of life. In other words, they are concerned about air quality but they are more willing to deal with poor air quality if it means getting industrial jobs in order to provide for themselves and their families.
