1 research outputs found
Real-Time Particulate and CO Concentrations from Cookstoves in Rural Households in Udaipur, India
Almost
3 billion people around the globe use traditional three-stone
cookstoves and open fires to warm and feed themselves. The World Health
Organization estimates annual mortality rates from domestic solid
fuel combustion to be around 4 million. One of the most affected countries
is India. Quantifying pollutant concentrations from these cookstoves
during different phases of operation and understanding the factors
influencing their variability may help to identify where improvements
should be targeted, enhancing indoor air quality for millions of the
world’s most vulnerable people. Gas and particulate measurements
were collected between June and August, 2012, for 51 households using
traditional cookstoves, in the villages of Udaipur district, Rajasthan,
India. Mean pollutant concentrations during steady-state mode were
4989 μm<sup>2</sup> cm<sup>–3</sup>, 9835 μg m<sup>–3</sup>, and 18.5 ppm for lung-deposited surface area, PM<sub>2.5</sub>, and CO, respectively. Simple and multivariate regression
analysis was conducted. Fuel amount, fuel diameter, duration of the
cookstove run, roof-type, and the room dimension explained between
7% and 21% of the variability for the pollutant metrics. CO demonstrated
weaker correlations with explanatory variables. Some of these variables
may be indicative of socio-economic status and could be used as proxies
of exposure in lieu of pollutant measurements, hence these variables
may help identify which households to prioritize for intervention.
Such associations should be further explored