Chemical Characterization and Health Risk Assessment of Particulate Matter from Household Activities in Bamako, Mali, Western Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Household particulate matter (PM) is a major health concern, especially in developing regions, where biomass fuels are used quantitatively in households. Additionally, the combustion of incense (ICS) and insecticide (IST) is common. This study characterized the PM chemical composition to evaluate its health effects, as such information is lacking in developing regions, including Bamako, Mali. The composition of PM emitted from typical household activities, including cooking and combustion of ICS and IST, was characterized. These contained ions, organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), and metals. The results revealed that the chemical composition varied with emission source and combustion conditions. The dominant ions were Ca2+ (charcoal cooking), K+ (wood cooking) and F− (in ICS and IST). The OC/EC ratio for IST, ICS, wood, and charcoal cooking was 59, 30, 8, and 7, respectively. Moreover, US EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) health risk assessment models indicated a higher hazard index (≤6.04) than the recommended limit (1) for nearly all emission sources. Total-CR was higher than the lower boundary limit (10−6) in adults and children. Wood cooking activity and ICS combustion exceeded the unacceptable limit (10−4) in children. Our findings highlight the need to develop effective air pollution mitigation strategies for health safety.

Sulfate Formation in Incense Burning Particles: A Single-Particle Mass Spectrometric Study

“…8−12 The plumes commonly contain gaseous reactants (e.g., NO 2 and peroxides), metals (e.g., Fe, Cu), and elemental carbon (EC), which can trigger and catalyze oxidations in the particles. 8,11,13,14 Since incense burning particles are organic rich, 9 the organics could form complexes with Fe to increase its solubility and enhance the oxidants' yield in Fe chemistry, 15 especially under light. 16 Additionally, many of the similar components are photosensitizers (e.g., vanillin) that can generate a variety of oxidants (e.g., triplet molecules, OH radicals, etc.)…”

“…The particle emission factor (i.e., the mass ratio of the emitted particles to the total material burned) from incense burning could be up to 10 times higher than those from burning of various types of biomasses (e.g., rice straw, wood fuel, forest biomass, etc. ), ,, and a high similarity of the chemical compositions of incense and biomass burning plumes has been reported. − The plumes commonly contain gaseous reactants (e.g., NO 2 and peroxides), metals (e.g., Fe, Cu), and elemental carbon (EC), which can trigger and catalyze oxidations in the particles. ,,, Since incense burning particles are organic rich, the organics could form complexes with Fe to increase its solubility and enhance the oxidants’ yield in Fe chemistry, especially under light . Additionally, many of the similar components are photosensitizers (e.g., vanillin) that can generate a variety of oxidants (e.g., triplet molecules, OH radicals, etc.)…”

Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk estimation of Indoor TVOCs, RSPM and Fine Particulate matter on young women dwellers in the capital city of most polluted state of India

“…The human health risk assessment of PM is a crucial factor in determining the impact of exposure to specific concentrations over time. The study assessed the health risks of ambient PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 using the USEPA risk assessment approach.Sidibe et al (2022) [47] suggest that assess carcinogenic risk can help evaluate the risk of finding cancer from PM exposure.…”

“…A HQ value larger than one is regarded a probable non-carcinogenic risk but an HQ value <1 or equal to one represents an acceptable condition [47].The reference concentration (RfC) is 15 μg/m 3 for PM2.5 and 50 μg/m 3 for PM10 [52,53]. Table 2 illustrates risk assessment parameters used in the study.…”

Comprehensive Analysis and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Assessment of the First Large-Scale Biogas Generation Plant in West Africa

“…The incomplete combustion of solid fuel produces large amounts of GHGs and particulate matter, resulting in the accumulation of indoor smoke and air pollution, which is hazardous to human health [23][24][25]. The World Health Organization estimates that 7 million people die each year from diseases related to environmental and household air pollution [26].…”