AAAR 33rd Annual Conference
October 20 - October 24, 2014
Rosen Shingle Creek
Orlando, Florida, USA
Abstract View
Quantifying Personal Exposures to Biomass Cookstove Emissions using RTI International’s MicroPEM™ Technology
RYAN CHARTIER, Charles Rodes, J. Randall Newsome, James Carlson, Samual DeFilipp, Seung-Hyun Cho, Jonathan Thornburg, RTI International
Abstract Number: 307 Working Group: Biomass Burning Aerosol: From Emissions to Impacts
Abstract The RTI MicroPEM personal exposure monitor (v3.2) was used to assess personal and indoor exposures to cookstove particulate matter (PM2.5) during biomass cookstove studies in Sri Lanka and Kenya in 2012. The MicroPEM measures real-time mass concentrations while simultaneously collecting an integrated PM sample on an internal referee filter. The on-board triaxial accelerometer provides real-time wearing compliance validation and participant activity levels that can be used to estimate ventilation rates and inhaled PM dose. The robustness of the device, low participant burden (< 240g), and customizable settings make the MicroPEM suitable for deployment across studies with a wide range of participant ages and PM source strengths. MicroPEMs were deployed in 53 Sri Lankan and 12 Kenyan households for 48-hour personal and indoor sampling periods. The Sri Lanka field study focused on quantifying personal exposures in homes different stove (3-stone or Anagi) and chimney combinations (chimney or no chimney), while deployment in Kenya was for a subset of homes participating in a stove intervention study. In both study settings local field staff were successfully trained and relied upon to setup, deploy, collect, and service the MicroPEMs, leading to impressive data capture rates of >97.5% in Sri Lanka and >92% in Kenya. Precision data for collocated MicroPEMs were collected at both field locations and accuracy against an integrated filter sampler was assessed in Kenya. Additional real-time and integrated MicroPEM data quality indicators have been collected during laboratory testing and domestic U.S. field study deployments and these data will also be presented here. RTI has been working to develop an Enhanced Children’s MicroPEM (ECM) suitable for personal sampling using small children (< 5yrs). This device is 50% smaller by volume and 45% lighter than the current v3.2 MicroPEM. Initial laboratory and field validation data for this very low burden monitor will be addressed.