Quantification of Indoor Air Pollution from Using Cookstoves and Estimation of Its Health Effects on Women in Bangladesh

July 19, 2012 · 0 comments

Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 12: 463–475, 2012

Quantification of Indoor Air Pollution from Using Cookstoves and Estimation of Its Health Effects on Adult Women in Northwest Bangladesh

Zohir Chowdhury, et al.

A longitudinal stove intervention study was conducted in Northwest Bangladesh between August 2005 and June 2009 to quantify the reduction of indoor air pollution from a Bangladeshi manufactured and commercialized cookstove (the BCSIR improved stove). In the post-intervention phase of the study, the indoor particulate matter (PM) size distribution and chemical composition, as well as carbon monoxide (CO) concentration, were characterized in 40 kitchens, 50% with the BCSIR improved stoves and 50% with traditional stoves.

The TSI DustTrak, P-TRAK and Q-TRAK Plus, along with the UCB Particle Monitor and the Onset HOBO, were simultaneously deployed to continuously characterize Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Particulate Matter (PM). Detailed chemical composition was quantified from X-Ray Flouroscence and Carbon Analyzer. Median 24-hr concentrations for CO and PM2.5 were 2.5 mg/m3 and 1.8 mg/m3, respectively, for the unimproved mud stove kitchens and were 2.0 mg/m3 and 0.73 mg/m3, respectively, for the BCSIR improved stove kitchens.

These differences were equivalent to 23% and 59% reduction of CO and PM2.5 concentrations, respectively. The cook’s daily exposure was estimated from these measurements to assess health impacts. Ultrafine particle number concentrations were 15,000 ± 7,200 pt/cm3 during non-cooking periods and 75,000 ± 31,000 pt/cm3 during cooking periods. Of the chemical composition of the PM2.5 emitted from cooking, 59–60% was organic matter and 29–30% was elemental carbon. The predominant chemical species were elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), chlorine, and potassium.

These results demonstrate possible reduction of PM and CO from cooking with improved stoves in rural areas in Bangladesh where solid fuels are used for cooking.

Cooking fuel type, household ventilation, and the risk of acute lower respiratory illness in urban Bangladeshi children

July 17, 2012 · 0 comments

Indoor Air. 2012 Apr;22(2):132-9.

Cooking fuel type, household ventilation, and the risk of acute lower respiratory illness in urban Bangladeshi children: a longitudinal study.

Murray EL, Brondi L, Kleinbaum D, McGowan JE, Van Mels C, Brooks WA, Goswami D, Ryan PB, Klein M, Bridges CB. Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA. emurray@alum.emory.edu

Acute lower respiratory illnesses (ALRI) are the leading cause of death among children <5 years. Studies have found that biomass cooking fuels are an important risk factor for ALRI. However, few studies have evaluated the influence of natural household ventilation indicators on ALRI. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between cooking fuel, natural household ventilation, and ALRI. During October 17, 2004-September 30, 2005, children <5 years living in a low-income neighborhood of Dhaka, Bangladesh, were assessed weekly for ALRI and surveyed quarterly about biomass fuel use, electric fan ownership, and natural household ventilation (windows, ventilation grates, and presence of a gap between the wall and ceiling). Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed using generalized estimating equations. Six thousand and seventy-nine children <5 years enrolled during the study period (99% participation) experienced 1291 ALRI. In the multivariate model, ≥2 windows [OR = 0.75, 95% CI = (0.58, 0.96)], ventilation grates [OR = 0.80, 95% CI = (0.65, 0.98)], and not owning an electric fan [OR = 1.50, 95% CI = (1.21, 1.88)] were associated with ALRI; gap presence and using biomass fuels were not associated with ALRI. Structural factors that might improve household air circulation and exchange were associated with decreased ALRI risk. Improved natural ventilation might reduce ALRI among children in low-income families. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The World Health Organization has stated that controlling pneumonia is a priority for achieving the fourth Millennium Development Goal, which calls for a two-third reduction in mortality of children <5 years old compared to the 1990 baseline. Our study represents an important finding of a modifiable risk factor that might decrease the burden of respiratory illness among children living in Bangladesh and other low-income settings similar to our study site. We found that the existence of at least two windows in the child's sleeping room was associated with a 25% decreased ALRI risk. Increasing available natural ventilation within the household in similar settings has the potential to reduce childhood mortality because of acute lower respiratory illnesses.

Indoor Air Pollution-related Acute Lower Respiratory Infections and Low Birthweight: A Systematic Review

July 17, 2012 · 0 comments

J Trop Pediatr. 2012 May 2.

Indoor Air Pollution-related Acute Lower Respiratory Infections and Low Birthweight: A Systematic Review.

Misra P, Srivastava R, Krishnan A, Sreenivaas V, Pandav CS. Centre for Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Background: Present study is a systematic review conducted to establish a quantitative association between acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) and low birthweight (LBW) attributable to Indoor air pollution (IAP) in under-5 children.

Materials and Methods: Total of 24 articles for ALRI in under-5 and seven articles for LBW were included in this review. Meta-analysis was done on nine and six articles on ALRI and LBW children, respectively.

Results: Sixteen studies reported significantly elevated odds ratio (range: 1.38-6.0) of ALRI exposed to IAP. Similarly, significantly increased risk of LBW due to IAP was reported in the studies (range: 1.1-1.86). The risk of ALRI increased by 2.51 times, while the risk of LBW increased by 1.45 times due to IAP exposure.

Conclusions: This review of ALRI and LBW attributable by IAP confirms and strengthens the findings of previous reviews and provides further strong evidence of associations of ALRI and LBW with IAP.

Evaluation of Clinical and Functional Parameters in Female Patients With Biomass Smoke Exposure

July 17, 2012 · 0 comments

Respir Care. 2012 Jul 10.

Evaluation of Clinical and Functional Parameters in Female Patients With Biomass Smoke Exposure.

Köksal H, Saygι A, Sarıman N, Alιcι E, Yurtlu S, Yιlmaz H, Düzgün Y.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Indoor air pollution and exposure to biomass smoke is a risk factor for pulmonary diseases among women in developing countries. We aimed to assess clinical and functional findings and exposure duration and to evaluate their relationships in patients who used biomass products as fuel and who presented to the clinic due to respiratory symptoms.

METHODS: Fifty-five patients, who had been referred to the hospital between January 2008-December 2010 and who met inclusion criteria were accepted to the study. Data on the place they live, biomass exposure duration, lung function parameters and, arterial blood gases were recorded.

RESULTS: Statistically significant differences in FEV₁%, FEV₁(L) and, FEV₁/FVC were existed between the subgroups of duration of biomass exposure (p=0.001). FEV₁% and FEV₁/FVC were highest in the <30 hour-years exposure group. In the presence of animal dung use, the risk of being FEV₁/FVC<70% was 3.5(0.88-10.29) OR,95%CI. Animal dung and wood use were observed in women at severe and very severe FEV₁ stages. CONCLUSIONS: Biomass exposure can have effects on lung function test parameters. Animal dung use is primarily related to risk of deterioration of FEV₁/FVC when compared to other biomass fuels. Protective health measures should be taken by assessing the risks in areas where biomass exposure is intense. We could improve poor designs of the stoves and ventilation and switch to better clean energy sources such as natural gas and solar energy.

Health and Safety Benefits of Replacing Kerosene Candles by Solar Lamps: Evidence from Uganda

July 17, 2012 · 0 comments

Health and Safety Benefits of Replacing Kerosene Candles by Solar Lamps: Evidence from Uganda, 2012.

Chishio Furukawa

One billion people live without electricity and rely on dim kerosenebased lighting which emits indoor air pollution and poses fire risks. This paper shows that there can be modest benefits in air-quality-related health and substantial benefits in fire safety if non-electrified households replace their kerosene candles with solar panel-charged lamps. In a randomized experiment, children who received solar lamps had modestly better health, especially during their exam periods compared with others who were exposed to air pollution from kerosene candles. Kerosene candles also appear to be responsible for 70 percent of fire incidents and 80 percent of burn injuries.

Q&A Feature – Charles Rodes, Research Triangle Institute (RTI)

July 11, 2012 · 0 comments

Charles Rodes, senior fellow in aerosol exposure, advises the Aerosol Exposure and Biomass Cookstove Grand Challenge Programs at Research Triangle Institute (RTI). He has conducted health-based aerosol exposure research at RTI since 1992 (with 23 years previously at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) and works with epidemiologists and the medical community to optimize associative studies linking exposures with adverse outcomes.

Charles Rodes

One of his current efforts is the development of a micro-scale Personal Exposure Monitoring device (MicroPEM) which also predicts breathing rates that contributes to more meaningful environmental dose estimates. This technology will help scientists to better understand the relationship between environmental contaminants in the air from cookstoves and other sources on potential adverse health effects.

How did you first become interested in aerosol exposure and cookstove issues?

We have been addressing environmental and health hazard assessments associated with aerosols and black carbon from combustion sources for decades. Shifting to a cookstove focus in developing countries was an easy transition. I recommended that the RTI Fellow program support a cookstove research initiative as it’s first “grand challenge“. Subsequently, the New Yorker published an article on this topic that caught the attention of RTI’s then-president Victoria Haynes. With her support, we began investigating the social and technological aspects of the problem. In 2010, RTI formally launched an internal “Grand Challenge” research and development effort to begin a coordinated set of projects and activities to provide an integrated approach to solving the problems posed by biomass stoves. Through this Grand Challenge research, we have been able to advance a number of important contributions to the field.

How broad is RTI’s cookstove-related program?

I conducted our Grand Challenge effort initially from a gap analysis perspective – i.e. “what key elements to a solution set are we missing at RTI and where do we need to inject innovations that could help advance the field“. That proved right on target to supplement our skill set, but it was also clear that we needed to take the time to read papers and reports to learn from all the work that had gone before, both successes and shortfalls. One key point that seemed to jump out at me was the potential biases in the prior health studies from not using personal level exposure metrics, and applying surrogate measures for aersols because the existing monitors were too big, clumsy, and costly. The RTI MicroPEM certainly came to mind to help address that need.  Another component we’re investigating is the relative toxicity of cookstove smoke and how that is likely to change as stoves are improved. There is a surprising paucity of stove-related toxicity data in the literature to support the most robust risk assessments.

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EzyStove scoops international award

July 11, 2012 · 0 comments

Source: New Era – July 11, 2011. ONDANGWA – The EzyStove – a Namibia/Swedish energy efficient cooking stove – has scooped the international Red Dot Best of the Best 2012 design award.

EzyStove is a revolutionary wood-burning stove, developed with local users and produced locally for developing countries in need of a solution that replaces cooking over an open fire. It reduces harmful smoke, decreases deforestation, creates local jobs and drastically reduces carbon dioxide emissions. 

Red Dot is the largest design competition in the world and has established itself internationally as one of the most appreciated quality seals for outstanding designs. The mark Best of the Best is the highest award of the Red Dot design competition.

The EzyStove is a direct outcome from a collaborative initiative between Namibian NGO Creative Entrepreneurs Solutions (CES), Swedish company Ergonomidesign and rural/urban Namibian women participating in the UNDP GEF-SGP Community-Based Adaptation to Climate Change programme.

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Webinar on: Carbon Credits and HWTS: A viable “green” funding mechanism?

July 6, 2012 · 0 comments

INTERNATIONAL NETWORK ON HOUSEHOLD WATER TREATMENT AND SAFE STORAGE

Live webinar on: Carbon Credits and HWTS: A viable “green” funding mechanism?

  • When: Tuesday 17 July
  • 9h30-11h00 New York
  • 15h30-17h00 Geneva
  • 16h30-18h00 Nairobi

Please check your corresponding local time to be sure: http://www.timeanddate.com

Carbon credits and carbon markets are a component of international attempts to mitigate the growth in concentrations of greenhouse gases. Household water treatment implementers have recently tapped into carbon markets to finance the delivery of household water treatment.

Join in this webinar to learn more the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCC) and the instrument it governs, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and the linkages between credits, household water treatment and clean cook stoves. Implementers will share their experiences and webinar participants will have the opportunity to poise questions and learn more about this potentially lucrative, and at times controversial, funding mechanism.

COPD in India: Iceberg or volcano?

July 3, 2012 · 0 comments

J Thorac Dis. 2012 June 1

COPD in India: Iceberg or volcano?

Arvind B. Bhome

The non-smoker’s COPD is an entity which needs to be documented in greater detail and this task has to be done by researchers in Asia, Africa, Latin America and other developing regions of the world. COPD among non-smokers may turn out to be a misery seeking missile. A study of 12,000 slum dwellers from Pune in Maharashtra revealed a questionnaire based COPD prevalence rate of 6.5% (8.5% in males and 4.5% in females).

Of those diagnosed with COPD, 69% were never smokers. Absence of a separate kitchen for cooking was an independent risk factor associated with COPD prevalence in males (OR=1.95, P=0.02) while use of kerosene fuel for cooking increased the odds of COPD in females by around 2.5 times (OR=2.48, P=0.01)

IDEO.org – Cooks + Cookstoves—Daily Life in Tanzania (Video)

June 29, 2012 · 0 comments

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