Note: we have already used all of the badges for the community test. Thank you for your interest!
Are you interested in learning more about your indoor environment? A research team from Public Lab, Ohio State University, Syracuse University, and a community leader in Georgia has been developing a low-cost method for measuring indoor formaldehyde, a chemical commonly found in indoor air.
We are currently interested in recruiting interested participants for a national test in July/August. A limited number of badges are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. If you are interested please fill our enrollment survey to provide your mailing address: (All badges have been mailed!)
Ware County in Georgia was the first place in the country where we visited to see if this technology is useful to people to find out about formaldehyde concentrations in their own homes. We want to thank everyone who participated April 24-May 1! The raw, deidentified data from the environmental survey can be found here (link to Excel spreadsheet: public GEORGIA SmART-FORM Environment Survey_for posting-1kf03ti). We will not post information from the health survey due to the small number of participants in the study and the sensitive nature of the collected information.
*Why are we doing this?*
Americans spend about 90% of their time indoors. While indoors, people are exposed to a variety of chemicals, often including formaldehyde. Though there are known health consequences associated with formaldehyde exposure, people currently have no way to reliably and affordably measure their residential formaldehyde exposure. The goal of this work has been to develop and launch an accessible, inexpensive, and reliable formaldehyde measurement technique that anyone can use.
*How does the system work?*
The formaldehyde detection system developed in this project has two primary components — the badge and the app — and the ongoing formaldehyde research has two primary components — the environmental and health variables.
Detection System
The system is comprised of a passive sampling badge that changes color upon reaction with formaldehyde, and a smartphone app-based algorithm that quantifies the intensity of the color change. These badges were made by a company called Morphix Technologies. They were first made for industrial work settings. The manufacturer changed the badge with us to be more sensitive to formaldehyde, even when other, similar chemicals are around. We are working to improve the results of the badge from just a color-change reading. We wanted a number as well for the formaldehyde concentration, not just rely on the visual color-change cue on the badge. So, the research team at Ohio State University developed a program using your smartphone camera to give us a number for the intensity of the color-change of the badge. This program is designed to work with the app to use it. By combining the badge and this new smartphone app, we have developed a detection system to get a number for formaldehyde concentrations that should be meaningful for the amount in your home air. It’s important to us that the formaldehyde detection system be affordable. The app will be free, and our goal is for each sample to cost less than $10.
Ongoing Research
Scientists have known about the health consequences of severe formaldehyde exposure for decades. However, there are still many open questions about effects of chronic or episodic low-concentration exposure, and questions regarding off-gassing concentrations and effects from common residential sources of formaldehyde. With this research project, we plan to begin to explore possible relationships between environmental factors and formaldehyde concentrations, and between formaldehyde concentrations and health symptoms. Ultimately, we hope this work will help us to better understand associations, and highlight areas for further research and possible interventions.
*What are the steps of the project?*
The SmART-Form project is nearing its final stages as a pilot project. Prior to starting any development work, we administered community interest surveys nationally and in Ware County. We also began writing and testing computer algorithms to quantify color-change detected by smartphone cameras. Integrating feedback from the surveys and algorithms, we developed the first version of the smartphone app. We internally tested and revised the app, and then asked community members to test the app. Based on feedback from people who tested the app and user-interface consultation, we revised the app to its current state. Meanwhile, the formaldehyde reaction badge had been undergoing development, including testing under different environmental and contaminant conditions. We then tested the whole detection system, including the badge and app, to assess accuracy and precision, to ensure valid results. We are now ready for community members to use the formaldehyde detection system, to gain information about their own potential formaldehyde exposure, and to provide information for future research. The final stages of the project will be to make any revisions necessary to the detection system based on the community case study, and establish necessary paths for future formaldehyde exposure research.
Where can I find out more?
Check out our website at u.osu.edu/smartform