Kerosene lighting contributes to household air pollution in rural Uganda

Abstract

The literature on the contribution of kerosene lighting to indoor air particulate concentrations is sparse. In rural Uganda, kitchens are almost universally located outside the main home, and kerosene is often used for lighting. In this study, we obtained longitudinal measures of particulate matter 2.5 microns or smaller in size (PM2.5) from living rooms and kitchens of 88 households in rural Uganda. Linear mixed effects models with a random intercept for household were used to test the hypotheses that primary reported lighting source and kitchen location (indoor vs. outdoor) is associated with PM2.5 levels. During initial testing, households reported using the following sources of lighting: open wick kerosene (19.3%), hurricane kerosene (45.5%), battery powered (33.0%), and solar (1.1%) lamps. During follow-up testing these proportions changed to 29.5%, 35.2%, 18.2%, and 9.1%, respectively. Average ambient, living room, and kitchen PM2.5 levels were 20.2, 35.2, and 270.0 μg/m3. Living rooms using open wick kerosene lamps had the highest PM2.5 levels (55.3 μg/m3) compared to those using solar lighting (19.4 μg/m3; open wick vs. solar, p = 0.01). 27.6% of homes using open wick kerosene lamps met World Health Organization indoor air quality standards compared to 75.0% in homes using solar lighting.

Female sex and cardiovascular disease risk in rural Uganda: a cross-sectional, population-based study

“…Wood and other solid biomass fuels are the main energy sources for cooking in many households in SSA. Cooking in Ugandan villages is generally done by girls and women, and often in poorly ventilated kitchens [32]. Thus exposure to polluted indoor air begins in early life for many women.…”

Exposure reductions associated with introduction of solar lamps to kerosene lamp-using households in Busia County, Kenya

“…Kerosene‐using homes that received electricity connections in El Salvador experienced a 66% reduction in living room PM 2.5 concentrations during peak lighting hours . Repeated PM 2.5 measurements in the living rooms of Ugandan households showed that concentrations in homes with solar lamps were about 40% of those in households using simple wick lamps . Lacking have been studies of exposure of actual kerosene lamp users, and exposure changes from introducing kerosene lamp replacements.…”

Developing a Low-Cost Passive Method for Long-Term Average Levels of Light-Absorbing Carbon Air Pollution in Polluted Indoor Environments

“…The range of concentrations experienced in those environments is wide (often covering at least an order of magnitude). As examples, based on available data, among 29 kitchens in rural Ghana, 24-h average BC concentrations ranged from 2.8 to 29 μg m −3 [ 49 ]; among 44 living rooms (lit with hurricane kerosene lamps) in rural Uganda, 24-h average BC concentrations ranged from 0.08 to 22 μg m −3 [ 50 ]; and, among 17 kitchens in rural India, hourly average BC concentrations ranged from 5.4 to 35 μg m −3 [ 51 ]. For understanding patterns across a wide range of air pollution concentrations, even a crude measure of indoor LAC levels might be useful.…”