AAAR 37th Annual Conference October 14 - October 18, 2019 Oregon Convention Center Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
Pregnant Women's Exposure to Household Air Pollution during a LPG Cookstove Intervention in Rural Bangladesh: The Value of Real-Time Data
Maggie Abbott, JONATHAN THORNBURG, Sajia Islam, Masum Billah, Fariha Tasnim, Seung-Hyun Cho, Ashraful Alam, Camille Raynes-Greenow, RTI International
Abstract Number: 465 Working Group: Biomass Combustion: Emissions, Chemistry, Air Quality, Climate, and Human Health
Abstract We developed a protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial to assess the impact of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) cooking compared to usual cooking on perinatal mortality in pregnant women in rural Bangladesh (ACTRN12618001214224). As part of the protocol, we assessed the value of personal monitoring to measure reductions in household air pollution exposure before and after the intervention.
We measured PM2.5 exposure with the MicroPEM. Gravimetric and optical density analyses provided total mass and black carbon mass concentrations, respectively. MicroPEM nephelometer data provided temporal insights into the participants’ exposure. We enrolled 30 pregnant women for 24-hours of exposure assessment when following traditional cooking practices (baseline) and repeated after receiving their LPG cookstove (intervention).
We collected valid baseline-intervention MicroPEM data from 22 of the 30 women. Participants wore the MicroPEM 77% and 69% of the time during baseline and intervention. Mean gravimetric PM2.5 concentrations during baseline and intervention were similar: 81.3 μg/m3 vs. 75.3 μg/m3. BC was also similar: 56.4 μg/m3 vs. 68.7 μg/m3. A temporal pattern in PM2.5 concentrations indicated PM2.5 exposure was lower when cooking with the LPG stove. The mean MicroPEM nephelometer concentration during cooking periods with LPG was 84.6 μg/m3 vs.136.5 μg/m3 with traditional stoves (p<0.0001).
External factors to the LPG cookstove intervention influenced the time-integrated PM2.5 concentrations. Baseline measurements occurred in May-June, monsoon season in Bangladesh. The LPG intervention occurred in November, a dry month with widespread agricultural activities. The consistent rain during the monsoon lowered ambient PM2.5 whereas crop harvest increased ambient PM2.5. These factors elevated the background PM2.5 exposures during the intervention that are not associated with the LPG cookstove. In complex air pollution environments, real-time PM2.5 exposure data will help evaluate the effectiveness of a clean-cooking intervention.