Outdoor, indoor, and personal black carbon exposure from cookstoves burning solid fuels

Abstract

Background Black carbon (BC) emissions from solid fuel combustion are associated with increased morbidity and mortality and are important drivers of climate change. We studied BC measurements, approximated by particulate matter (PM2.5) absorbance, in rural Yunnan province, China whose residents use a variety of solid fuels for cooking and heating including: bituminous and anthracite coal, and wood. Methods Measurements were taken over 2 consecutive 24 h periods from 163 households in 30 villages. PM2.5 absorbance (PMabs) was measured using an EEL 043 Smoke Stain Reflectometer. Results PMabs measurements were higher in wood burning households (16.3 × 10−5 m−1) than bituminous and anthracite coal households (12 and 5.1 × 10−5 m−1 respectively). Among bituminous coal users, measurements varied by a factor of two depending on the coal source. Portable stoves (which are lit outdoors and brought indoors for use) were associated with reduced PMabs levels, but no other impact of stove design was observed. Outdoor measurements were positively correlated with and approximately half the level of indoor measurements (r= 0.49, p<0.01). Conclusion Measurements of BC (as approximated by PMabs) in this population are modulated by fuel type and source. This provides valuable insight into potential morbidity, mortality and climate change contributions of domestic usage of solid fuels.

Quartz in ash, and air in a high lung cancer incidence area in China

“…This has been demonstrated for particulate matter (PM 2.5 ), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and black carbon. 5,17,23 Therefore, on the basis of these previous findings, we are confident that the results presented in the current study are reliable approximations of personal exposure.…”

Intercomparison of methods to estimate black carbon emissions from cookstoves

“…Smoke stain reflectometer (Model 43D, Diffusion Systems Ltd.). The reflectometer is a non-destructive and portable system, commonly used to determine BC concentrations (Biswas et al, 2003;Begum et al, 2007;Downward et al, 2015). It has already been used in several cookstove BC emission studies (Johnson et al, 2008;Huboyo et al, 2009).…”

Expanded View of PAHs: Identifying Especially Harmful Constituents of Bituminous Coal Smoke

“…The current study's multipollutant exposure assessment was developed by Downward through multiple previous papers. 10,11,12 It drew upon personal and indoor air quality measurements recorded for 163 women and their households across 30 villages in 2008 and 2009, self-reported histories of stove and fuel use, and an analysis of local coal mine types and locations. Lung cancer diagnoses were tracked among study participants between 2006 and 2013.…”