![Sample our Environment & Agriculture journals, sign in here to start your access, latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5934/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Environment-Agriculture.jpg"})
Abstract
Background: Nearly half of the world’s population is exposed to household air pollution (HAP) due to long hours spent in close proximity to biomass-fueled fires.
Objective: We compare CO exposures and concentrations among study promoted intervention stove users and control stove users in San Marcos Province, Cajamarca region, Peru.
Methods: Passive CO diffusion tubes were deployed over a 48-hour sampling period to measure kitchen CO concentrations and personal mother and child CO exposures in 197 control and 182 intervention households.
Results: Geometric means (95% CI) for child, mother, and kitchen measurements were 1·1 (0·9–1·2), 1·4 (1·3–1·6), and 7·3 (6·4–8·3) ppm in control households, and 1·0 (0·9–1·1), 1·4 (1·3–1·6), and 7·3 (6·4–8·2) ppm among intervention households, respectively.
Conclusion: With no significant differences between control and intervention CO measurements, results suggest that intervention stove maintenance may be necessary for long-term reductions in CO exposures.
Sincere appreciation goes to: study subjects who allowed us to sample in their homes; the IIN staff in Lima who helped with logistical issues of storing and transporting samples; Hector Verastegui for compiling the data set for the randomized control trial; field coordinator, Selenne Flores, the field workers and volunteers, who enabled the successful campaign of this study; Adam Gray who helped with pre- and post-field work data analysis and management and Christopher Fitzgerald who conducted field training; Regina Saavedra, Gayle Lennox, and Anna Hejl for their help with data compilation and Dr Jan Hattendorf and Dr Olorunfemi Adetona for their invaluable input during manuscript preparation.
This exposure assessment was made possible by NIH Research Grant #5-D43TW005746-04 funded by the Fogarty International Center, National Institutes on Environmental Health Services, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Additional funding was from the College of Public Health at the University of Georgia (UGA), the UGA Graduate School, and the Interdisciplinary Toxicology Program at UGA. This work was also supported by the UBS Optimus Foundation for the field work of the parent study (ISRCTN28191222) and grant #2T42OH008436 from NIOSH through the University of Alabama, Birmingham.