Urban and rural exposure to indoor air pollution from domestic biomass and coal burning across China

Mestl, Heidi E.S.; Aunan, Kristin; Seip, H. M.; Wang, Yafei; Zhao, Yiyang; Zhang, D

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2007.01.087

Cited by 104 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Heaviest PM 10 exposure was estimated to occur in areas relying on biomass. It is difficult to compare PM concentrations in this study versus those in Chen et al (2013a) because the latter study used measured TSP, while Mestl et al (2007a) used estimated PM 10 . Further, the time periods are not fully comparable.…”

Section: Overview Of Health Effectsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Two issues immediately come to mind: (A) What specific constituents of the coal burning might be most harmful, and (B) since heating degree days are over twice as high north of the Huai River than south of it (Chen et al, 2013a), how much difference in mortality might have been observed if biomass instead of coal had been used for heating north of the river? Mestl et al (2007a) used Monte Carlo simulations, based upon published indoor air pollution (IAP) studies and population time activity information, to create generic estimates of PM 10 exposure in urban and rural areas, in the north and the south of China, combining estimates of indoor exposure from solid fuels, and outdoor exposure. For rural populations, either in the north or south, IAP represented 80-90% of PM 10 exposures.…”

Section: Overview Of Health Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Public health and components of particulate matter: The changing assessment of black carbon

Grahame

Klemm

Schlesinger

2014

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

237

156

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In 2012, the WHO classified diesel emissions as carcinogenic, and its European branch suggested creating a public health standard for airborne black carbon (BC). In 2011, EU researchers found that life expectancy could be extended four to nine times by reducing a unit of BC, vs reducing a unit of PM 2.5. Only recently could such determinations be made. Steady improvements in research methodologies now enable such judgments.In this Critical Review, we survey epidemiological and toxicological literature regarding carbonaceous combustion emissions, as research methodologies improved over time. Initially, we focus on studies of BC, diesel, and traffic emissions in the Western countries (where daily urban BC emissions are mainly from diesels). We examine effects of other carbonaceous emissions, e.g., residential burning of biomass and coal without controls, mainly in developing countries.Throughout the 1990s, air pollution epidemiology studies rarely included species not routinely monitored. As additional PM 2.5. chemical species, including carbonaceous species, became more widely available after 1999, they were gradually included in epidemiological studies. Pollutant species concentrations which more accurately reflected subject exposure also improved models.Natural "interventions" -reductions in emissions concurrent with fuel changes or increased combustion efficiency; introduction of ventilation in highway tunnels; implementation of electronic toll payment systems -demonstrated health benefits of reducing specific carbon emissions. Toxicology studies provided plausible biological mechanisms by which different PM species, e.g., carbonaceous species, may cause harm, aiding interpretation of epidemiological studies.Our review finds that BC from various sources appears to be causally involved in all-cause, lung cancer, and cardiovascular mortality, morbidity, and perhaps adverse birth and nervous system effects. We recommend that the U.S. EPA rubric for judging possible causality of PM 2.5. mass concentrations, be used to assess which PM 2.5. species are most harmful to public health. Implications: Black carbon (BC) and correlated co-emissions appear causally related with all-cause, cardiovascular, and lung cancer mortality, and perhaps with adverse birth outcomes and central nervous system effects. Such findings are recent, since widespread monitoring for BC is also recent. Helpful epidemiological advances (using many health relevant PM 2.5 species in models; using better measurements of subject exposure) have also occurred. "Natural intervention" studies also demonstrate harm from partly combusted carbonaceous emissions. Toxicology studies consistently find biological mechanisms explaining how such emissions can cause these adverse outcomes. A consistent mechanism for judging causality for different PM 2.5 species is suggested.A list of acronyms will be found at the end of the article. Aims of Critical ReviewThis critical review (CR) consists of three main sections. First, we review recent major regulatory and scien...

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Section: Overview Of Health Effectsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Overview Of Health Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public health and components of particulate matter: The changing assessment of black carbon

Grahame

Klemm

Schlesinger

2014

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association

237

156

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Data on personal exposure to pollutants in biomass smoke are necessary for analysis of association with disease outcomes, but has been measured or estimated in few studies (Ezzati et al, 2000;Naeher et al, 2001;Balakrishnan et al, 2002;Bruce et al, 2004;Dasgupta et al, 2006;Mestl et al, 2007;Dionisio et al, 2008;McCracken et al, 2009). In particular, a metric of usual exposure is desired because exposure may vary from day to day and health effects may depend on cumulative exposure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The exposure of infants and children to carbon monoxide from biomass fuels in The Gambia: a measurement and modeling study

Dionisio

Howie

Dominici

et al. 2011

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

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Smoke from biomass fuels is a risk factor for pneumonia, the leading cause of child death worldwide. Although particulate matter (PM) is the metric of choice for studying the health effects of biomass smoke, measuring children's PM exposure is difficult. Carbon monoxide (CO), which is easier to measure, can be used as a proxy for PM exposure. We measured the exposure of children r5 years of age in The Gambia to CO using small, passive, color stain diffusion tubes. We conducted multiple CO measurements on a subset of children to measure day-to-day exposure variability. Usual CO exposure was modeled using a mixed effects model, which also included individual and household level exposure predictors. Mean measured CO exposure for 1181 children (n ¼ 2263 measurements) was 1.04 ± 1.46 p.p.m., indicating that the Gambian children in this study on average have a relatively low CO exposure. However, 25% of children had exposures of 1.3 p.p.m. or higher. CO exposure was higher during the rainy months (1.33±1.62 p.p.m.). Burning insect coils, using charcoal, and measurement done in the rainy season were associated with higher exposure. A parsimonious model with fuel, season, and other PM sources as covariates explained 39% of between-child variation in exposure and helped remove within-child variability.

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“…The first impact of indoor air pollution on the health of the people in developing countries was reported as early as 1968 (Cleary and Blackburn, 1968;Sofoluwe, 1968). More recent studies on indoor air pollution from solid fuels have been conducted in various developing countries such as China (Fischer and Koshland 2007;Mestl et al, 2007), Zimbabwe (Rumchev et al, 2007), Bangladesh (Dasgupta et al, 2006), and India . Kitchen smoke has been identified as major killer and several recommendations given on how to improve indoor air quality in developing countries (Warwick and Diog, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cooking as a source of indoor air pollution in rural areas of Tanzania

Jackson¹

2010

International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences

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This study was concerned with the assessment of the contribution of cooking fuelwood, charcoal and kerosene to indoor air pollution in households in Msangani, Chahua and Kazimzumbwi villages in the Coast Region, Tanzania. It has also assessed the performance of Single Compartment Model in predicting indoor pollution levels under Tanzania conditions. The methods used in this study were household survey, measurements, and observation. The pollutants measured were Carbon monoxide (CO), Sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) and Nitrogen oxides (NOX) using a combustion analyzer CA-6200-CALc manufacured by RAECO of USA, and Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) using a filter and vacuum pump. It was observed that 97.3% of the 112 families surveyed utilized simple "three stones" fires for cooking. Other observed cooking facilities in the study areas were charcoal stoves and kerosene stoves. The overall pattern shows that the population in the three villages spent about 76.8% of their time indoors. The hourly indoor average SPM levels during cooking period ranged from 13571 µg/m3 to 305798 µg/m3. Compared with SPM levels recorded in similar studies, these values were much higher, and may contribute to health problems observed in the study areas. The CO concentrations before cooking, for households that use fuel wood, exceeded the WHO hourly standard of 30 mg/m3 in 69.4 % of the surveyed households, while the concentrations for those households using charcoal and kerosene were zero. The overall average CO concentrations in mg/m3 at all households during cooking were 325 ± 211 and 148 ± 44 when fuelwood and charcoal biomass were used respectively. The measured values of CO were above the recommended WHO guidelines with an hourly objective value of 30 mg/m3. A Single Compartment Model provided a satisfactory approximation of the measured CO concentrations with an average ratio of measured/modelled CO concentration at 1.1± 0.3. The study recommends improvement to the ventilation system including the provision of an adequate number of windows and installation of chimneys for removal of combustion pollutants from indoor environment.

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Urban and rural exposure to indoor air pollution from domestic biomass and coal burning across China

Cited by 104 publications

References 15 publications

Public health and components of particulate matter: The changing assessment of black carbon

Public health and components of particulate matter: The changing assessment of black carbon

The exposure of infants and children to carbon monoxide from biomass fuels in The Gambia: a measurement and modeling study

Cooking as a source of indoor air pollution in rural areas of Tanzania

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