scholarly journals Low-cost assessment of a stove improvement program in Peru

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boris Reiss ◽  
Isaac Jogues Roa ◽  
Raleigh Bacharach ◽  
Igor Burstyn ◽  
Eyal Oren
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Indoor Air Pollution ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Improvement Program ◽  
Reduction Measure ◽  
Improvement Programs ◽  
Risk Reduction Measure ◽  
Co Concentrations

Background: Approximately 3 billion people worldwide, including more than 20 million people in Peru alone, depend on biomass fuels (BMF) for heating and boiling water, cooking, and lighting their homes. Burning BMF on poorly ventilated stoves results in household air pollution (HAP), which includes carbon monoxide (CO). Stove improvement programs aim to reduce indoor air pollution and are included in various organizations’ education visits to Peru. The programs do not allow sufficient time, or provide equipment or skills training to determine if the stove improvements have been successful.Objective: To develop and implement a rapid, low-cost method to measure CO concentrations in rural Peruvian households in order to assess the success of stove improvements. Methods: CO concentrations were measured 159 times in 14 households (with 7 clean, 6 traditional, and 1 gas stove) near Cusco, Peru. CO concentrations were measured in one-minute intervals with MSA Altair 4X multigas monitors. The likelihood of the 95th percentile exceeding the NIOSH CO ceiling limit of 200 ppm for each stove type was calculated.Results: The probability of overexposure was almost three times lower with “clean” stoves than with traditional stoves, i.e., 24% vs 9%.Conclusion: A promising and pragmatic method to evaluate the increased effectiveness of clean stoves over traditional ones was developed and tested. This method supports the implementation of clean stoves as a risk reduction measure.

How low-cost air pollution sensors could make homes smarter?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamid Omidvarborna ◽  
Prashant Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Indoor Air Pollution ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Indoor Air Pollutants

<p>The majority of people spend most of their time indoors, where they are exposed to indoor air pollutants. Indoor air pollution is ranked among the top ten largest global burden of a disease risk factor as well as the top five environmental public health risks, which could result in mortality and morbidity worldwide. The spent time in indoor environments has been recently elevated due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak when the public are advised to stay in their place for longer hours per day to protect lives. This opens an opportunity to low-cost air pollution sensors in the real-time Spatio-temporal mapping of IAQ and monitors their concentration/exposure levels indoors. However, the optimum selection of low-cost sensors (LCSs) for certain indoor application is challenging due to diversity in the air pollution sensing device technologies. Making affordable sensing units composed of individual sensors capable of measuring indoor environmental parameters and pollutant concentration for indoor applications requires a diverse scientific and engineering knowledge, which is not yet established. The study aims to gather all these methodologies and technologies in one place, where it allows transforming typical homes into smart homes by specifically focusing on IAQ. This approach addresses the following questions: 1) which and what sensors are suitable for indoor networked application by considering their specifications and limitation, 2) where to deploy sensors to better capture Spatio-temporal mapping of indoor air pollutants, while the operation is optimum, 3) how to treat the collected data from the sensor network and make them ready for the subsequent analysis and 4) how to feed data to prediction models, and which models are best suited for indoors.</p>

scholarly journals Indoor air pollution exposures and cardiometabolic health across four diverse settings in Peru: a cross-sectional study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josiah L Kephart ◽  
Magdalena Fandiño-Del-Rio ◽  
Kirsten Koehler ◽  
Antonio Bernabe-Ortiz ◽  
J Jaime Miranda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Carbon Monoxide ◽  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Indoor Air Pollution ◽  
Geometric Mean ◽  
Geometric Standard Deviation ◽  
Pm 2.5 ◽  
Daily Average ◽  
Co Concentrations

Abstract Background Indoor air pollution is an important risk factor for health in low- and middle-income countries. Methods We measured indoor fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) and carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations in 617 houses across four settings with varying urbanisation, altitude, and biomass cookstove use in Peru, between 2010 and 2016. We assessed the associations between indoor pollutant concentrations and blood pressure (BP), exhaled carbon monoxide (eCO), C-reactive protein (CRP), and haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) using multivariable linear regression. Results We found high concentrations of indoor PM 2.5 across all four settings (geometric mean ± geometric standard deviation of PM 2.5 daily average in µg/m 3 ): Lima 41.1 ± 1.3, Tumbes 35.8 ± 1.4, urban Puno 14.1 ± 1.7, and rural Puno 58.8 ± 3.1. High indoor CO concentrations were common in rural households (geometric mean ± geometric standard deviation of CO daily average in ppm): rural Puno 4.9 ± 4.3. Higher indoor PM 2.5 was associated with having a higher systolic BP (1.51 mmHg per interquartile range (IQR) increase, 95% CI 0.16 to 2.86), a higher diastolic BP (1.39 mmHg higher DBP per IQR increase, 95% CI 0.52 to 2.25), and a higher eCO (2.05 ppm higher per IQR increase, 95% CI 0.52 to 3.57). There was no evidence of associations between indoor air exposures and CRP or HbA1c outcomes. Conclusions Excessive indoor concentrations of PM 2.5 are widespread across varying levels of urbanisation, altitude, and biomass cookstove use in Peru and are associated with worse BP and higher eCO.

scholarly journals Feasibility of Low-Cost Particle Sensor Types in Long-Term Indoor Air Pollution Health Studies After Repeated Calibration Over a 2-Year Timeframe

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elle Anastasiou ◽  
M. J. Ruzmyn Vilcassim ◽  
John Adragna ◽  
Emily Gill ◽  
Albert Tovar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Failure Rate ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Indoor Air Pollution ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Calibration Coefficient ◽  
Data Output ◽  
Term Performance ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Background Previous studies have explored using calibrated low-cost particulate matter (PM) sensors, but important research gaps remain regarding long-term performance and reliability. Objective Evaluate longitudinal performance of low-cost particle sensors by measuring sensor performance changes over 2 years of use. Methods 51 low-cost particle sensors (Airbeam 1 N=29; Airbeam 2 N=22) were calibrated four times over a 2-year timeframe between 2019-2021. Cigarette smoke-specific calibration curves for Airbeam 1 and 2 PM sensors were created by directly comparing simultaneous 1-min readings of a Thermo Scientific Personal DataRAM PDR-1500 unit with a 2.5 µm inlet. Results Inter-sensor variability in calibration coefficient was high, particularly in Airbeam 1 sensors at study initiation. Calibration coefficients for both sensor types trended downwards over time to <1 at final calibration timepoint [Airbeam 1 Mean (SD)= 0.87 (0.20); Airbeam 2 Mean (SD) = 0.96 (0.27)]. We lost more Airbeam 1 sensors (N=27, failure rate 48.2%) than Airbeam 2 (N=2, failure rate 16.7%) due to electronics, battery, or data output issues. Conclusions Evidence suggests degradation over time might depend more on particle sensor type, rather than individual usage. Repeated calibrations of low-cost particle sensors may increase confidence in reported PM levels in longitudinal indoor air pollution studies.

scholarly journals Indoor air pollution concentrations and cardiometabolic health across four diverse settings in Peru: a cross-sectional study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josiah L Kephart ◽  
Magdalena Fandiño-Del-Rio ◽  
Kirsten Koehler ◽  
Antonio Bernabe-Ortiz ◽  
J Jaime Miranda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Carbon Monoxide ◽  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Indoor Air Pollution ◽  
Geometric Mean ◽  
Geometric Standard Deviation ◽  
Pm 2.5 ◽  
Daily Average ◽  
Co Concentrations

Abstract Background: Indoor air pollution is an important risk factor for health in low- and middle-income countries. Methods: We measured indoor fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) and carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations in 617 houses across four settings with varying urbanisation, altitude, and biomass cookstove use in Peru, between 2010 and 2016. We assessed the associations between indoor pollutant concentrations and blood pressure (BP), exhaled carbon monoxide (eCO), C-reactive protein (CRP), and haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) using multivariable linear regression among all participants and stratifying by use of biomass cookstoves. Results: We found high concentrations of indoor PM 2.5 across all four settings (geometric mean ± geometric standard deviation of PM 2.5 daily average in µg/m 3 ): Lima 41.1 ± 1.3, Tumbes 35.8 ± 1.4, urban Puno 14.1 ± 1.7, and rural Puno 58.8 ± 3.1. High indoor CO concentrations were common in rural households (geometric mean ± geometric standard deviation of CO daily average in ppm): rural Puno 4.9 ± 4.3. Higher indoor PM 2.5 was associated with having a higher systolic BP (1.51 mmHg per interquartile range (IQR) increase, 95% CI 0.16 to 2.86), a higher diastolic BP (1.39 mmHg higher DBP per IQR increase, 95% CI 0.52 to 2.25), and a higher eCO (2.05 ppm higher per IQR increase, 95% CI 0.52 to 3.57). When stratifying by biomass cookstove use, our results were consistent with effect measure modification in the association between PM 2.5 and eCO: among biomass users eCO was 0.20 ppm higher per IQR increase in PM 2.5 (95% CI -2.05 to 2.46), and among non-biomass users eCO was 5.00 ppm higher per IQR increase in PM 2.5 (95% CI 1.58 to 8.41). We did not find associations between indoor air concentrations and CRP or HbA1c outcomes. Conclusions: Excessive indoor concentrations of PM 2.5 are widespread in homes across varying levels of urbanisation, altitude, and biomass cookstove use in Peru and are associated with worse BP and higher eCO.

scholarly journals Early Warning Systems for COVID-19 Infections Based on Low-Cost Indoor Air-Quality Sensors and LPWANs

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 6183
Author(s):  
Nikolaos Peladarinos ◽  
Vasileios Cheimaras ◽  
Dimitrios Piromalis ◽  
Konstantinos G. Arvanitis ◽  
Panagiotis Papageorgas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Early Warning ◽  
Indoor Air Pollution ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Complex Mixture ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
Warning Systems ◽  
Platform Architecture

During the last two years, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc in many areas of the world, as the infection spreads through person-to-person contact. Transmission and prognosis, once infected, are potentially influenced by many factors, including indoor air pollution. Particulate Matter (PM) is a complex mixture of solid and/or liquid particles suspended in the air that can vary in size, shape, and composition and recent scientific work correlate this index with a considerable risk of COVID-19 infections. Early Warning Systems (EWS) and the Internet of Things (IoT) have given rise to the development of Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) based on sensors, which measure PM levels and monitor In-door Air pollution Quality (IAQ) in real-time. This article proposes an open-source platform architecture and presents the development of a Long Range (LoRa) based sensor network for IAQ and PM measurement. A few air quality sensors were tested, a network platform was implemented after simulating setup topologies, emphasizing feasible low-cost open platform architecture.

AWARENESS ABOUT INDOOR AIR POLLUTION IN GENERAL POPULATION OF RAWALPINDI AND ISLAMABAD

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-83
Author(s):  
Nadia Tariq ◽  
Tamkeen Jaffry ◽  
Rahma Fiaz ◽  
Abdul Majid Rajput ◽  
Sadaf Khalid
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
General Population ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Indoor Air Pollution ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Educational Status ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Significant Difference

Background: Indoor air pollutants are increasingly being associated with respiratory illnesses leading to high degree of morbidity and mortality. There are not sufficient epidemiological studies from Pakistan which assess level of awareness of indoor air pollution resulting in respiratory diseases in population. Methods: This cross sectional survey was carried out on general population of Rawalpindi/Islamabad. Sample size was 223 study subjects selected by non-probability convenient sampling. Knowledge of the study subjects was determined with regard to indoor air pollution, its effects on health and different sources of indoor air pollution with the help of a questionnaire. The influence of age, gender, educational status and socio economic status on the level of awareness was also analyzed. Results: Out of total 223 participants, 115 were males and108 females. Participants aware of indoor air pollution were 91.5% and adequate awareness about its sources was 80.7%. Those who knew indoor air pollution is detrimental to health were 95.1%. Awareness about building construction dust as source of indoor air pollution was maximum (84.8%). There was significant difference in awareness among participants with different monthly incomes and educational status and also between males and females. Conclusion: This study concludes that general population of Rawalpindi/Islamabad has fairly good awareness about sources of indoor air pollution. Use of harmful material causing indoor air pollution should be limited or substituted with better ones where possible.

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