Meet Archishman Dey, the Ohio eighth grader who tested a deep fryer, a candle, a humidifier, gas and incense; Incense produced the finest particle pollution.
An eighth-grade student from Solon, Ohio, is drawing attention to an often-overlooked source of air pollution: the air inside our homes. Solon High School student Archishman Dey conducted a science project examining how common household activities affect levels of PM2.5, or fine particles measuring 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter.Their experiment tested five everyday sources: a deep fryer, a candle, a humidifier, natural gas and incense. Of these, burning an incense stick produced the highest level of PM2.5 in their experiment.
Archishman Dey explains why he studied
Archishman said his project was inspired by his concern about the air people breathe inside their homes.“When people think about air pollution, they typically imagine cars, factories or outdoor fireplaces, which we classify as ambient air pollution.
But what if I told you that the air in your kitchen, right inside your home, can sometimes be more polluted than the air outside? he said in his project video.He explained that PM2.5 refers to extremely small particles that can be generated by smoke, vapors and dust from everyday activities.“PM2.5 means particulate matter. Matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. So small that it is invisible to the naked eye,” Archishman said.He added: “These particles can penetrate deep into our lungs and cause a variety of health problems.”According to data published by the Society for Science, Archishman became especially interested in incense after noticing visible smoke in his grandparents’ house. Her grandparents have asthma, which worried her about their exposure to indoor pollution.“What interested me most was the daily burning of incense sticks at my grandparents’ house, where you could visibly see the smog in the air,” he said.
Tested five common sources of household pollution.
To conduct the experiment, Archishman used an air quality sensor to measure PM2.5 levels. He designated a room as a control area and measured the initial concentration before testing each source.“I started wondering which activities inside our homes produce the most of these small particles. That’s how I came up with my project to compare five different sources of indoor PM2.5 that we use in everyday life and find out which one can pollute the inside of our homes the most,” he explained.The five sources he tried were cooking on a gas stove, frying food with a deep fryer, burning incense sticks, using a humidifier, and lighting a candle.“For each one, I measured PM2.5 before, during and after the activity right here in my control room to see how high the pollution levels were and how long it took to return to normal,” he said.
Incense generated the highest levels of PM2.5
The results showed that incense was by far the largest source of fine particle pollution among the five activities analyzed.“When I burned an incense stick, the number on the monitor shot up the most. That was by far the worst source,” Archishman said.According to data published by the Society for Science, the incense stick generated an average PM2.5 concentration of 76.27 micrograms per cubic meter. The fryer came in second with 14.29 micrograms per cubic meter, while the humidifier produced about 5.5 micrograms per cubic meter.Archishman said cooking on a gas stove also resulted in a significant increase in PM2.5, while burning a candle produced the smallest effect in his experiment, although it still caused a short-term increase.“Next was the deep fryer, followed by cooking on a gas stove, which also caused a significant increase in PM2.5. After that, a humidifier was used, which only caused a small increase. Finally, burning a candle had the least effect, but there was still a brief increase in PM2.5 levels,” he said.
‘Everyday activities can silently fill our lungs’
Archishman said the findings made him more aware of the pollution generated by routine household activities.“This means that everyday activities like frying food or lighting candles can silently fill our lungs with these particles that damage our lungs,” he said.He added: “We experience this type of exposure all the time, but most of us don’t realize how slowly and steadily we breathe in these particles.”For Archishman, the project was also about finding practical ways for families to improve their indoor environment.“My goal was to provide simple data that could enable families to recognize invisible air quality hazards and adopt healthier practices with the goal of improving their indoor environment,” he said, according to the Society for Science.In his video, he suggested simple measures such as opening windows, using exhaust fans while cooking, and turning on an air purifier.“The good news is that it’s something we can control. By simply opening windows, using exhaust fans while cooking, or turning on an air purifier, we can reduce these pollutants in just a few minutes and make our indoor air much cleaner,” he said.
Archishman hopes to become an environmental engineer
Beyond the project, Archishman participates in academic competitions including Science Olympiad and MathCounts.
He also represented Ohio in the national competition.“My favorite thing is to crack the code of a problem after thinking about it tirelessly,” he said.Archishman said he hopes to become an environmental engineer and use science and mathematics to address major environmental challenges.“The math and science behind everything around us is really fascinating. I want to learn about these systems and solve the world’s most pressing problems, such as waste management, pollution and ensuring a healthier planet for future generations,” he said.He concluded his presentation with a simple message: “Even though we can’t see these particles, they impact our health every day. Remember, clean air starts right here at home.”
