Out for an afternoon hike, Veerle Bonaers and a friend stop pushing their baby and look down to their map, suddenly aware they have taken a wrong turn.
Image Credit: AFP
2 of 11
Their baby, Claire, dressed in pink slippers, doesn't make a sound, sitting snug in her blue buggy, winter sunlight touching her soft tuft of blonde hair.
Image Credit: AFP
3 of 11
Claire, an acronym for Clean Air for Everyone, is silent because she is a doll and wedged beside her are three electric sensors that measure the particulate matter that spews out of factories and car exhausts.
Image Credit: AFP
4 of 11
Her minders, though dressed for a trek, will walk 7.5 kilometres (4.5 miles) - about 10,000 steps - from the Antwerp University campus through Belgium's notorious traffic, which makes this small EU country of 11 million one of the most harmful polluters in Europe.
Image Credit: AFP
5 of 11
Referred to as the "silent killer", air pollution is responsible for about seven million premature deaths worldwide each year, according to the UN.
Image Credit: AFP
6 of 11
Among European cities, Antwerp was the second deadliest after Madrid when it came to exposure to nitrogen dioxide, the poisonous gas emitted by diesel autos.
Image Credit: AFP
7 of 11
Claire is the brainchild of Professor Roeland Samson whose research ropes in Antwerp citizens to help his team more widely measure exposure to air pollution.
Image Credit: AFP
8 of 11
"We have hundreds of parents and grandparents willing to go on a walk with Claire," the professor told AFP as he gave the day's walkers their instructions.
Image Credit: AFP
9 of 11
"This is very important because air quality varies a lot. If we just do one measurement in time we wouldn't have a complete picture," he added.
Image Credit: AFP
10 of 11
When Claire is in her buggy, traffic-related pollution such as soot and particulate matter is logged every 10 seconds. Other parameters, such as wind speed and time of day, are also recorded.
Image Credit: AFP
11 of 11
The plan is for Claire to go out daily until November, and volunteers are able to sign up on the university website dedicated to the project.
Image Credit: AFP
This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to improve your experience and provide more personalized service to you.
Both on your website and other media. To find out more about the cookies and data we use, please check out our Privacy Policy.
