Chemical Composition of PM2.5 in Wood Fire and LPG Cookstove Homes of Nepali Brick Workers

Household air pollution is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, largely due to particles ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5). The toxicity of PM2.5, however, depends on its physical properties and chemical composition. In this cross-sectional study, we compared the chemical composition of PM2.5 in brick...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Atmosphere Vol. 12; no. 7; p. 911
Main Authors: Johnston, James D., Beard, John D., Montague, Emma J., Sanjel, Seshananda, Lu, James H., McBride, Haley, Weber, Frank X., Chartier, Ryan T.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.07.2021
Subjects:
Air pollution
Air quality
Aluminium
Aluminum
Birth weight
brick worker
Calcium
Carbon
Cardiovascular disease
Chemical composition
Chlorine
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Cooking
cookstove
fine particulate matter
Fires
Fluorescence
household air pollution
Indoor air pollution
international environmental health
Light penetration
Liquefied petroleum gas
LPG
Morbidity
Mortality
Particulate emissions
Particulate matter
Particulate matter monitoring
Physical properties
Pollutants
Potassium
respiratory disease
Suspended particulate matter
Titanium
Toxicity
Trace elements
Wood
Workers
X ray fluorescence analysis
X-ray fluorescence
United States > US
Nepal
ISSN:2073-4433, 2073-4433
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Household air pollution is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, largely due to particles ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5). The toxicity of PM2.5, however, depends on its physical properties and chemical composition. In this cross-sectional study, we compared the chemical composition of PM2.5 in brick workers’ homes (n = 16) based on use of wood cooking fire or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cookstoves. We collected samples using RTI International particulate matter (PM) exposure monitors (MicroPEMs). We analyzed filters for 33 elements using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence and, for black (BC) and brown carbon (BrC), integrating sphere optical transmittance. Wood fire homes had significantly higher concentrations of BC (349 µg/m3) than LPG homes (6.27 µg/m3, p < 0.0001) or outdoor air (5.36 µg/m3, p = 0.002). Indoor chlorine in wood fire homes averaged 5.86 µg/m3, which was approximately 34 times the average level in LPG homes (0.17 µg/m3, p = 0.0006). Similarly, potassium in wood fire homes (4.17 µg/m3) was approximately four times the level in LPG homes (0.98 µg/m3, p = 0.001). In all locations, we found aluminum, calcium, copper, iron, silicon, and titanium in concentrations exceeding those shown to cause respiratory effects in other studies. Our findings suggest the need for multi-faceted interventions to improve air quality for brick workers in Nepal.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
ISSN:2073-4433
2073-4433
DOI:10.3390/atmos12070911