IoT-Embedded Smart Textiles with Real-Time Hazardous Gas Detection for Sewage Worker Safety: A Wearable Sensor Network Approach

Abstract

Sewage workers encounter life-threatening exposures to dangerous gases such as hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), methane (CH 4), ammonia (NH 3), and carbon monoxide (CO) when performing routine maintenance and cleaning work. Conventional gas detecting systems are based on handheld tools, where active participation of the workers is necessary, thus excluding safety during inactivity or when the workers are busy performing their tasks. This article demonstrates an IoT-Embedded Smart Textile System (IEST) that paves its way into protective clothing that has miniaturized gas sensors built into it so that the concentration of dangerous gases in the air can be continuously monitored in real-time. The suggested system includes a system of electrochemical and metal-oxide semiconductor sensors built in multi-layered fabric, a low-energy Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communication chip to transmit data, and a cloud-based data analytics platform to monitor and raise alerts centrally. Another adaptive threshold system modulates the alarm levels according to exposure time and the physiological condition of the workers, minimizing the false alarms and ensuring safety. Experimental testing under simulated sewage conditions has shown that IEST has a detection accuracy of 96.8% to H₂S concentrations as low as 1ppm in sewage with a response time of less than 3 seconds and can be used continuously up to 72 hours on a single battery charge. Six-month field deployment of 150 sewage workers had no gas-related deaths and a 94.2 percent decrease in emergency medical actions over baseline. The system offers sewage workers a non-obtrusive, 24/7 safety system that allows filling the gap between environmental monitoring and personal protective equipment.