Air Pollution Centre of Excellence

The NIHR CLEAN-Air(Africa) Global Health Research Unit has sponsored the development of an Air Pollution Centre of Excellence housed at KEMRI’s Centre for Respiratory Disease Research in Nairobi.

The Centre includes a state-of-the-art air quality measurement and processing laboratory, including Africa’s first Robotic Weighing System for gravimetric mass measurements of particulate matter (PM), highlighted in the images below:

Balance calibration, for use in automated gravimetric filter weighing. Photo credit: Nigel Bruce

Deploying state of the art technology for air quality measurement, in Africa

Placing filters in the gravimetric filter weighing robot at the Air Pollution Centre of Excellence. Photo credit: Nigel Bruce

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The need for the Air Pollution Centre of Excellence and its state-of-the-art facilities are shown in this video.

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State of the art air pollution sensing equipment

The Centre will be able to measure and process a range of health-damaging air pollutants, including PM (e.g., PM₁, PM_2.5, and PM₁₀), carbon monoxide (CO), black carbon (BC), and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). The images below show the monitoring equipment used by the Centre.

PurpleAir Monitors for extended real-time monitoring of ambient PM_2.5 Photo credit: Joan Kinya

Ultrasonic Personal Air Samplers (UPAS) version 2 for real-time and gravimetric PM measurement, NO₂ and BC. Photo credit: Dan Pope

LASCAR Easy Log EL-USB-CO electrochemical monitors for the assessment of CO concentrations. Photo credit: Joan Kinya

Geocene Dots - Stove Use Monitors (SUMs) that use temperature as a proxy to monitor real-time stove use. Photo credit: Dan Pope

The Training Centre

The Centre benefits from trained research staff and technicians in the management, measurement, and analysis of air pollution emissions, concentrations, and exposures. It will initially support CLEAN-Air(Africa) in conducting its air quality processing for research activities.

It will ultimately serve academic, research, and public and private organisations across sub-Saharan Africa to measure and process their air quality samples. It will also offer classroom and field-based training in measuring air pollution.

Example of the MTL 500 gravimetric filter weighing robot used

The Air Pollution Centre of Excellence hub located at the Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi

The KEMRI-University of Liverpool Air Pollution Centre of Excellence

The NIHR CLEAN-Air(Africa) Global Health Research Unit is proud to announce the establishment of the KEMRI-University of Liverpool Air Pollution Centre of Excellence housed at KEMRI’s Centre for Respiratory Disease Research in Nairobi, Kenya.

With funding from the UK National Institute for Health and Care Research and KEMRI, the KEMRI-University of Liverpool Air Pollution Centre of Excellence includes a state-of-the-art air quality measurement and processing laboratory including Africa’s first MTLAH500E Robotic Weighing System for gravimetric mass measurements of particulate matter (PM). PM is recognised as the biggest contributor to the burden of disease from air pollution exposure.

The KEMRI-University of Liverpool Air Pollution Centre of Excellence will also be able to measure and process a range of other health-damaging and climate pollutants including carbon monoxide (CO), black carbon (BC), Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), Polycyclic Aromatic Hydocarbons.

Please download the flyer for more information about the Centre and services offered.

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"We are grateful to the National Institute for Health and Care Research [the UK sponsor for CLEAN-Air(Africa)] for supporting this essential facility for Kenya and sub-Saharan Africa. We will now be able to support African researchers in addressing the issue of air pollution in their own countries without relying on international partners. I am delighted to be managing the centre of excellence on behalf of CLEAN-Air(Africa)"

“Working closely with world-leading experts in the management of air quality sampling, we have developed the perfect environment for the processing of gravimetric air pollution samples. Quality assurance is maintained through careful control of air quality, pressure, temperature, and humidity in our state-of-the-art laboratories. We are looking forward to supporting the air quality sampling for schools and households under the CLEAN-Air(Africa) programme and beyond.”

Air Pollution Centre of Excellence