India, July 4 -- A new low-cost sensor can help detect toxic sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas responsible for respiratory irritation, asthma attacks, and long-term lung damage, at extremely low concentrations.

SO2is a toxic air pollutant commonly released from vehicles and industrial emissions, and even minute exposure can cause serious health issues and long-term lung damage. It is hard to detect before it has an adverse effect on health. Monitoring SO2levels in real-time is crucial for public safety and environmental protection, yet existing technologies are often expensive, energy-intensive, or unable to detect the gas at trace levels.

To overcome this, scientists from Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru, an autonomous...