LPG Cooking as a Replacement for Charcoal: Impacts on Exposure to PM2.5 and Carbon Monoxide in Rwandan Homes
CHERYL WEYANT, Joseph Pedit, Ashley Bittner, Sudhanshu Handa, Leena Nylander-French, Karin Yeatts, Pamela Jagger,
University of Michigan Abstract Number: 540
Working Group: Aerosol Exposure
AbstractExposure to pollutants from residential cooking with solid fuels (such as wood or charcoal) is a major cause of illness and mortality, in the Global South. Many households are transitioning away from these fuels and adopting clean fuels, such and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and electricity for some or all of their cooking. However, these transitions are rarely closely observed outside of a trial or intervention. We conducted a five-panel observational study, where households were surveyed five times over six years, to study household fuel transitions in Gisenyi, Rwanda. From 2015 to 2020, LPG use grew from 5% to 42% of households. Over this transition, we measured 24-hr exposure by household cooks to particulate matter PM
2.5 (N = 655) and carbon monoxide CO (N = 3,322) for households with a range of LPG use (0-100% of meals). Both CO and PM
2.5 exposures were lower in households that used LPG compared to other households (where charcoal was predominate and some biomass pellets were used). On average, households that used LPG, used it for 56% of their meals, with moderate, but significant, growth over time. Few households were exclusive users; most continued to use some charcoal. Even those that used LPG nearly exclusively (90-100% of meals), had PM
2.5 exposures above healthy recommended levels (58 µgm
-3), likely from other sources as indicated by ambient measurements. Despite the high PM
2.5 exposure in LPG users, it was a significant improvement from charcoal cooking and likely to result in health improvements.