AAAR 36th Annual Conference October 16 - October 20, 2017 Raleigh Convention Center Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Abstract View
An Enhanced Children's MicroPEM for Household Air Pollution Personal Exposure Measurements
Ryan Chartier, Mukesh Dherani, KATHLEEN OWEN, RTI International
Abstract Number: 330 Working Group: Aerosol Exposure
Abstract Three billion of the world’s poorest people rely on solid fuels (wood, crop wastes, dung, charcoal and coal) and simple open fires and stoves for their everyday cooking needs. This results in high levels of exposure to smoke pollution among family members, including young children. These exposures to household air pollution (HAP) have been linked to numerous adverse health outcomes.
The RTI MicroPEM (240g) has been used to measure personal exposure to particulate matter (PM) in numerous HAP exposure studies. The MicroPEM has been validated as a personal exposure monitor and deployed in field studies with adult and school-aged children. However, this device can be burdensome for small children (< 5 years). Therefore, RTI developed a smaller version of the MicroPEM, the Enhanced Children’s MicroPEM (ECM). The ECM is 47% smaller and weighs 90g less than the MicroPEM. This decrease in size and weight reduces the physical burden on the child while the existing performance MicroPEM is maintained or improved. The ECMs were deployed in a small pilot effort (N=50) in rural Malawi. ECMs were worn by children falling into one of 5 age groups (0-1, 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, and 4+ years of age). The youngest children were found to have the highest mean exposure levels (58.6 µg/m3), and exposures decreased with age, reaching a minimum in the 3-4 year group (29.2 µg/m3). Additionally, the ratio of the mother’s PM2.5 exposure, measured using the MicroPEM, to that of her child increased from a minimum at age 0-1 year (1.9) to a maximum at age 3+ (5.6). These data indicate children likely spend more time away from their mother, and therefore the cookstove, as they become older. Forty-nine of the 50 mothers indicated they would be willing to have their children wear the ECM for exposure measurements again.