A big part of the challenge in conducting local studies on the impacts of Sargassum decomposition on human health is the cost associated with acquiring sensitive sensors to capture air quality data. Our applicant team has already used SENKO sensors (precision 1 ppm) to monitor air quality in Quintana Roo, Mexico. However, more precise sensors (0.01 ppm) are needed to determine potential risks from chronic long-term exposure, especially because Sargassum events appear to be lengthening in time. More precise sensors are available, but their commercial cost is prohibitive. Furthermore, in addition to the sensors' costs, resources are required to deploy and monitor them in low and middle-income countries where research funds are less available.  Availability of this information in countries within the developing Tropical Atlantic is critical as it will allow 1) determining the potential impact of Sargassum gases on the health of Sargassum collectors, 2) recommending appropriate management strategies to decision-makers to tackle this issue, 3) alerting local and regional environmental and health authorities of concentration levels of the gases, 4) develop an accessible monitoring technology for the region, and 5) potentially open a regional discussion on laws, economic resources and strategies to reduce the impacts of Sargassum blooms.

Given these needs and limitations, our research group focuses on developing custom-made sensors with a sensitivity of 0.001 ppm but accessible for less than 10% of the price of other sensors with that sensitivity. Assembling the entire sensor from scratch, we want to create sensors with the required sensitivity to understand the impacts of long-term exposure while bypassing the challenge of obtaining expensive sensors in middle and low-income countries.