Effects of biomass burning on pulmonary functions in tribal women in northeastern India

ABSTRACT

Wood smoke causes adverse effects on pulmonary function (PF) in women in developing countries. This study compared PF among rural tribal women in northeastern India among 266 wood users and 82 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) users, all healthy nonsmoking women from April to July, 2014. PF measurements included FVC, FEV₁, FEV₁/FVC, PEF, and FEF_25–75%. Information on participants’ health status, demographic, and socioeconomic characteristics were collected by questionnaire. Multiple linear regressions were performed to compare PF between the two groups, adjusting for potential confounders. Wood users had significantly lower pulmonary values than LPG users: FVC (2.65 vs. 2.85 L, p < .001), FEV₁ (1.46 vs. 1.92 L, p < .001), PEF (1.89 vs. 2.56 L/s, p < .001), and FEF_25–75% (1.12 vs. 1.68 L/s, p < .001) except for FEV₁/FVC (76.5 vs. 75.5 percent, p = .27). Wood use was associated with 7 percent lower FVC, 24 percent lower FEV₁, 1.3 percent lower FEV₁/FVC, 26 percent lower PEF, and 33 percent lower FEEF_25–75% compared to LPG use. Wood use was associated with a 0.27-L decrease in FEV₁, adjusted for covariates. Women cooking with wood had lower PF and more respiratory symptoms and gastritis than those using LPG. Thus, reducing indoor air pollution from biomass burning is needed to protect tribal women’s health.

KEYWORDS:

• Biomass burning
• indoor air pollution
• pulmonary functions
• spirometry
• tribal women

Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to the women participants, who took part in our study. The fellowship provided to one of the authors (RR) as Junior Research Fellow and Senior Research Fellow, by the University Grants Commission, New Delhi, is gratefully acknowledged. We also thank the anonymous Reviewers and the Editor for their helpful comments and suggestions on this MS.