AAAR 37th Annual Conference October 14 - October 18, 2019 Oregon Convention Center Portland, Oregon, USA
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Particulate Matter and Black Carbon from an LPG Stove Intervention in Rural Households in Puno, Peru: Preliminary Results
MAGDALENA FANDIÑO-DEL-RIO, Josiah Kephart, William Checkley, Kirsten Koehler, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Abstract Number: 323 Working Group: Biomass Combustion: Emissions, Chemistry, Air Quality, Climate, and Human Health
Abstract Household air pollution (HAP) from biomass fuels is a leading risk factor for preventable diseases and among the largest environmental contributors to the global disease burden. Previous interventions with improved cookstoves have not markedly lowered concentrations and therefore show only limited improvements on health. As a result, recent efforts are focusing on stoves that use cleaner fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
A randomized controlled field trial enrolled 180 female participants and followed them for one year. Free LPG stoves and fuel were delivered to 90 participants. We collected 48-hour measurements of kitchen concentrations and personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and black carbon (BC). Household kitchen characteristics and their influence on concentrations were also evaluated. Baseline mean daily average kitchen concentrations and personal exposures of PM2.5 of 1,200 μg/m3 (SD=945 μg/m3) and 120 μg/m3 (SD=175 μg/m3) respectively, were observed among biomass fuel users (n=178). After the LPG stove intervention, we observed average reductions of approximately 90% in kitchen concentrations and 75% for personal exposures to PM2.5 on quarterly visits compared to baseline concentrations (n=170). BC concentrations were reduced in kitchens by 85% and personal exposures reduced by 65% (n=170). Preliminary results show not only sharp concentration reductions expected from good initial compliance, but also sustained reductions from the LPG stove use even after 12 months of the LPG stove intervention.
Results from this analysis will provide valuable information to help understand PM and BC exposure from biomass fuel use and changes that follow the adoption of LPG stoves. Results of this trial will inform the feasibility of an LPG stove replacement program to reduce HAP and improve health in resource-limited settings such as Peru.