Particulate exposure and size distribution from wood burning stoves in Costa Rica

Biomass fuel is the most common energy source for cooking and space heating in developing countries. Biomass fuel combustion causes high levels of indoor air pollutants including particulates and other combustion by-products. We measured indoor air quality in 23 houses with a wood burning stove in rural residential areas of Costa Rica. Daily PM2.5, PM10 and CO concentrations, and particle size distribution were simultaneously measured in the kitchen. When a wood burning stove was used during the monitoring period, average daily PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were 44 and 132 microg/m3, respectively. Average CO concentrations were between 0.5 and 3.3 ppm. All houses had a particle size distribution of either one or two peaks at around 0.7 and 2.5 microm aerodynamic diameters. The particulate levels increased rapidly during cooking and decreased quickly after cooking. The maximum peak particulate levels ranged from 310 to 8170 microg/m3 for PM2.5 and from 500 to 18900 microg/m3 for PM10 in all houses. Although the 24-h particulate levels in this study are lower than the National Ambient Air Quality Standards of PM2.5 and PM10, it is important to note that people, especially women and children, are exposed to extremely high levels of particulates during cooking.     

Reduction in personal exposures to particulate matter and carbon monoxide as a result of the installation of a Patsari improved cook stove in Michoacan Mexico

The impact of an improved wood burning stove (Patsari) in reducing personal exposures and indoor concentrations of particulate matter (PM(2.5)) and carbon monoxide (CO) was evaluated in 60 homes in a rural community of Michoacan, Mexico. Average PM(2.5) 24-h personal exposure was 0.29 mg/m(3) and mean 48-h kitchen concentration was 1.269 mg/m(3) for participating women using the traditional open fire (fogon). If these concentrations are typical of rural conditions in Mexico, a large fraction of the population is chronically exposed to levels of pollution far higher than ambient concentrations found by the Mexican government to be harmful to human health. Installation of an improved Patsari stove in these homes resulted in 74% reduction in median 48-h PM(2.5) concentrations in kitchens and 35% reduction in median 24-h PM(2.5) personal exposures. Corresponding reductions in CO were 77% and 78% for median 48-h kitchen concentrations and median 24-h personal exposures, respectively. The relationship between reductions in median kitchen concentrations and reductions in median personal exposures not only changed for different pollutants, but also differed between traditional and improved stove type, and by stove adoption category. If these reductions are typical, significant bias in the relationship between reductions in particle concentrations and reductions in health impacts may result, if reductions in kitchen concentrations are used as a proxy for personal exposure reductions when evaluating stove interventions. In addition, personal exposure reductions for CO may not reflect similar reductions for PM(2.5). This implies that PM(2.5) personal exposure measurements should be collected or indoor measurements should be combined with better time-activity estimates, which would more accurately reflect the contributions of indoor concentrations to personal exposures. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Installation of improved cookstoves may result in significant reductions in indoor concentrations of carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)), with concurrent but lower reductions in personal exposures. Significant errors may result if reductions in kitchen concentrations are used as a proxy for personal exposure reductions when evaluating stove interventions in epidemiological investigations. Similarly, time microenvironment activity models in these rural homes do not provide robust estimates of individual exposures due to the large spatial heterogeneity in pollutant concentrations and the lack of resolution of time activity diaries to capture movement through these microenvironments.     

Measuring the exposure of infants and children to indoor air pollution from biomass fuels in The Gambia

Indoor air pollution (IAP) from biomass fuels contains high concentrations of health damaging pollutants and is associated with an increased risk of childhood pneumonia. We aimed to design an exposure measurement component for a matched case-control study of IAP as a risk factor for pneumonia and severe pneumonia in infants and children in The Gambia. We conducted co-located simultaneous area measurement of carbon monoxide (CO) and particles with aerodynamic diameter <2.5 microm (PM(2.5)) in 13 households for 48 h each. CO was measured using a passive integrated monitor and PM(2.5) using a continuous monitor. In three of the 13 households, we also measured continuous PM(2.5) concentration for 2 weeks in the cooking, sleeping, and playing areas. We used gravimetric PM(2.5) samples as the reference to correct the continuous PM(2.5) for instrument measurement error. Forty-eight hour CO and PM(2.5) concentrations in the cooking area had a correlation coefficient of 0.80. Average 48-h CO and PM(2.5) concentrations in the cooking area were 3.8 +/- 3.9 ppm and 361 +/- 312 microg/m3, respectively. The average 48-h CO exposure was 1.5 +/- 1.6 ppm for children and 2.4 +/- 1.9 ppm for mothers. PM(2.5) exposure was an estimated 219 microg/m3 for children and 275 microg/m3 for their mothers. The continuous PM(2.5) concentration had peaks in all households representing the morning, midday, and evening cooking periods, with the largest peak corresponding to midday. The results are used to provide specific recommendations for measuring the exposure of infants and children in an epidemiological study. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Measuring personal particulate matter (PM) exposure of young children in epidemiological studies is hindered by the absence of small personal monitors. Simultaneous measurement of PM and carbon monoxide suggests that a combination of methods may be needed for measuring children's PM exposure in areas where household biomass combustion is the primary source of indoor air pollution. Children's PM exposure in biomass burning homes in The Gambia is substantially higher than concentrations in the world's most polluted cities.     

Chimney stoves modestly improved Indoor Air Quality measurements compared with traditional open fire stoves: results from a small‐scale intervention study in rural Peru

Nearly half of the world's population depends on biomass fuels to meet domestic energy needs, producing high levels of pollutants responsible for substantial morbidity and mortality. We compare carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter (PM_2.5) exposures and kitchen concentrations in households with study‐promoted intervention (OPTIMA‐improved stoves and control stoves) in San Marcos Province, Cajamarca Region, Peru. We determined 48‐h indoor air concentration levels of CO and PM_2.5 in 93 kitchen environments and personal exposure, after OPTIMA‐improved stoves had been installed for an average of 7 months. PM_2.5 and CO measurements did not differ significantly between OPTIMA‐improved stoves and control stoves. Although not statistically significant, a post hoc stratification of OPTIMA‐improved stoves by level of performance revealed mean PM_2.5 and CO levels of fully functional OPTIMA‐improved stoves were 28% lower (n = 20, PM_2.5, 136 μg/m³ 95% CI 54–217) and 45% lower (n = 25, CO, 3.2 ppm, 95% CI 1.5–4.9) in the kitchen environment compared with the control stoves (n = 34, PM_2.5, 189 μg/m³, 95% CI 116–261; n = 44, CO, 5.8 ppm, 95% CI 3.3–8.2). Likewise, although not statistically significant, personal exposures for OPTIMA‐improved stoves were 43% and 17% lower for PM_2.5 (n = 23) and CO (n = 25), respectively. Stove maintenance and functionality level are factors worthy of consideration for future evaluations of stove interventions.     

Contribution of solid fuel, gas combustion, or tobacco smoke to indoor air pollutant concentrations in Irish and Scottish homes

There are limited data describing pollutant levels inside homes that burn solid fuel within developed country settings with most studies describing test conditions or the effect of interventions. This study recruited homes in Ireland and Scotland where open combustion processes take place. Open combustion was classified as coal, peat, or wood fuel burning, use of a gas cooker or stove, or where there is at least one resident smoker. Twenty-four-hour data on airborne concentrations of particulate matter<2.5 μm in size (PM2.5), carbon monoxide (CO), endotoxin in inhalable dust and carbon dioxide (CO2), together with 2-3 week averaged concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) were collected in 100 houses during the winter and spring of 2009-2010. The geometric mean of the 24-h time-weighted-average (TWA) PM2.5 concentration was highest in homes with resident smokers (99 μg/m3--much higher than the WHO 24-h guidance value of 25 μg/m3). Lower geometric mean 24-h TWA levels were found in homes that burned coal (7 μg/m3) or wood (6 μg/m3) and in homes with gas cookers (7 μg/m3). In peat-burning homes, the average 24-h PM2.5 level recorded was 11 μg/m3. Airborne endotoxin, CO, CO2, and NO2 concentrations were generally within indoor air quality guidance levels. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Little is known about indoor air quality (IAQ) in homes that burn solid or fossil-derived fuels in economically developed countries. Recent legislative changes have moved to improve IAQ at work and in enclosed public places, but there remains a real need to begin the process of quantifying the health burden that arises from indoor air pollution within domestic environments. This study demonstrates that homes in Scotland and Ireland that burn solid fuels or gas for heating and cooking have concentrations of air pollutants generally within guideline levels. Homes where combustion of cigarettes takes place have much poorer air quality.     

Ambient carbon monoxide and daily mortality in three Chinese cities: the China Air Pollution and Health Effects Study (CAPES)

Ambient carbon monoxide (CO) is an air pollutant primarily generated by traffic. CO has been associated with increased mortality and morbidity in developed countries, but few studies have been conducted in Asian developing countries. In the China Air Pollution and Health Effects Study (CAPES), the short-term associations between ambient CO and daily mortality were examined in three Chinese cities: Shanghai, Anshan and Taiyuan. Poisson regression models incorporating natural spline smoothing functions were used to adjust for long-term and seasonal trend of mortality, as well as other time-varying covariates. Effect estimates were obtained for each city and then for the cities combined. In both individual-city and combined analysis, significant associations of CO with both total non-accidental and cardiovascular mortality were observed. In the combined analysis, a 1 mg/m³ increase of 2-day moving average concentrations of CO corresponded to 2.89% (95%CI: 1.68, 4.11) and 4.17% (95%CI: 2.66, 5.68) increase of total and cardiovascular mortality, respectively. CO was not significantly associated with respiratory mortality. Sensitivity analyses showed that our findings were generally insensitive to alternative model specifications. In conclusion, ambient CO was associated with increased risk of daily mortality in these three cities. Our findings suggest that the role of exposure to CO and other traffic-related air pollutants should be further investigated in China.     

Physico-chemical characterization of indoor/outdoor particulate matter in two residential houses in Oslo, Norway: measurements overview and physical properties--URBAN-AEROSOL Project

Indoor/outdoor measurements have been performed in the Oslo metropolitan area during summer and winter periods (2002-2003) at two different residential houses. The objective of the measurement study was to characterize, physically and chemically, the particulate matter (PM) and gaseous pollutants associated with actual human exposure in the selected places, and their indoor/outdoor relationship. In this paper, we focus on the PM measurements and examine the relationship between the indoor and outdoor PM concentrations taking into account the ventilation rate, indoor sources and meteorological conditions. The indoor/outdoor measurements indicate the important contribution of the outdoor air to the indoor air quality and the influence of specific indoor sources such as smoking and cooking to the concentration of PM inside houses. However, no specific correlation was found between the indoor/outdoor concentration ratio and the meteorological parameters. This study provides information on the physical characteristics and the relationship of indoor to outdoor concentration of particulate matter in residential houses. Moreover, the parameters that influence this relationship are discussed. The results presented here are specific to the sampled houses and conditions used and provide data on the actual human exposure characteristics which occur in the spatial and temporal scales of the present study.     

Emissions variation in urban areas resulting from the introduction of natural gas vehicles: Application to Barcelona and Madrid Greater Areas (Spain)

On-road traffic is the major contributor to pollutant emissions in urban areas. Nowadays different emission abatement strategies are being tested in order to improve urban air quality (e.g. the European Commission currently promotes the use of natural gas as an alternative fuel). Several feasible scenarios regarding the introduction of natural gas vehicles (NGV) are studied in the two main cities of Spain (Barcelona and Madrid) by using the HERMES emission model. The most suitable emission factors to NGV are selected among those available in the literature. The account of emissions in the base case scenario estimated for a typical summertime polluted day of the year 2004 reflects that in Barcelona 86% of primary pollutants come from on-road traffic compared to 93% in Madrid, because of the heavier industrial activity in the former. The introduction of NGV in urban zones would have a positive effect on emissions, whose extent largely depends on the substituted fleets and the conurbation characteristics. Maximum reductions in NO_x emissions in Madrid are attributed to the substitution of 10% of the oldest diesel and petrol cars, while in Barcelona the change of 50% of the oldest commercial light vehicles becomes more effective. PM_2.5 and SO₂ emissions can be significatively reduced with the introduction of NGV instead of the oldest commercial light vehicles. The substitution of conventional fuels by natural gas must reach around 4% to achieve significative reductions in traffic emissions (larger than 5%). This work focuses on air quality issues, therefore GHG emissions are not included, nevertheless this kind of associated impact has to be considered by the decision makers. Assessing the efficacy of environmental improvement strategies entails a realistic design of emission scenarios and their evaluation. The detailed emission account provides a fundamental basis for the air quality modelling and its comparison among scenarios.