Premium
Monitoring and modeling of household air quality related to use of different Cookfuels in Paraguay
Author(s) -
Tagle Matias,
Pillarisetti Ajay,
Hernandez Maria Teresa,
Troncoso Karin,
Soares Agnes,
Torres Ricardo,
Galeano Aida,
Oyola Pedro,
Balmes John,
Smith Kirk R.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
indoor air
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.387
H-Index - 99
eISSN - 1600-0668
pISSN - 0905-6947
DOI - 10.1111/ina.12513
Subject(s) - liquefied petroleum gas , environmental science , charcoal , indoor air quality , particulates , air quality index , air pollution , biomass (ecology) , population , environmental engineering , waste management , geography , environmental health , engineering , chemistry , meteorology , medicine , oceanography , organic chemistry , geology
In Paraguay, 49% of the population depends on biomass (wood and charcoal) for cooking. Residential biomass burning is a major source of fine particulate matter ( PM 2.5 ) and carbon monoxide ( CO ) in and around the household environment. In July 2016, cross‐sectional household air pollution sampling was conducted in 80 households in rural Paraguay. Time‐integrated samples (24 hours) of PM 2.5 and continuous CO concentrations were measured in kitchens that used wood, charcoal, liquefied petroleum gas ( LPG ), or electricity to cook. Qualitative and quantitative household‐level variables were captured using questionnaires. The average PM 2.5 concentration (μg/m 3 ) was higher in kitchens that burned wood (741.7 ± 546.4) and charcoal (107.0 ± 68.6) than in kitchens where LPG (52.3 ± 18.9) or electricity (52.0 ± 14.8) was used. Likewise, the average CO concentration (ppm) was higher in kitchens that used wood (19.4 ± 12.6) and charcoal (7.6 ± 6.5) than in those that used LPG (0.5 ± 0.6) or electricity (0.4 ± 0.6). Multivariable linear regression was conducted to generate predictive models for indoor PM 2.5 and CO concentrations (predicted R 2 = 0.837 and 0.822, respectively). This study provides baseline indoor air quality data for Paraguay and presents a multivariate statistical approach that could be used in future research and intervention programs.