A5016365011- Air Quality and Health Impacts
- Energy and Environment Impacts
- Air Quality Monitoring and Forecasting
- Noise Effects and Management
- Climate Change and Health Impacts
- Energy, Environment, and Transportation Policies
- COVID-19 impact on air quality
- Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
- Vehicle emissions and performance
- Atmospheric aerosols and clouds
- Child Nutrition and Water Access
- Atmospheric Ozone and Climate
- Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy
- Carbon Dioxide Capture Technologies
- Energy, Environment, Economic Growth
- Occupational Health and Performance
- Impact of Light on Environment and Health
- Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics
- Smoking Behavior and Cessation
- CO2 Sequestration and Geologic Interactions
- Respiratory viral infections research
- Neonatal Respiratory Health Research
- Fire effects on ecosystems
- Environmental and Sediment Control
- Fire dynamics and safety research
RTI International
2015-2025
University of New Hampshire at Manchester
2019
University of New Hampshire
2012-2017
United States Postal Service
2016
Research Triangle Park Foundation
2015-2016
In-Q-Tel
2016
BackgroundRelatively clean cooking fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) emit less fine particulate matter (PM2·5) and carbon monoxide (CO) than polluting (eg, wood, charcoal). Yet, some interventions have not achieved substantial exposure reductions. This study evaluates determinants of between-community variability in exposures to household air pollution (HAP) across sub-Saharan Africa.MethodsIn this measurement study, we recruited households primarily with LPG or exclusively wood...
Solid fuel burning cookstoves are a major source of household air pollution (HAP) and significant environmental health risk in Sri Lanka. We report results the first field study Lanka to include direct measurements both real-time indoor concentrations personal exposures fine particulate matter (PM2.5) households using two most common stove types A purposive sample 53 was selected rural community Kopiwatta central Lanka, roughly balanced for type (traditional or improved 'Anagi') ventilation...
Traditional cooking using biomass is associated with ill health, local environmental degradation, and regional climate change. Clean stoves (liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), biogas, electric) are heralded as a solution, but few studies have demonstrated their health benefits in field settings. We analyzed the impact of mainly biogas (as well electric LPG) stove use on social, environmental, outcomes two districts Odisha, India, where Indian government has promoted household biogas. established...
Personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM
Rationale: Approximately 40% of people worldwide are exposed to household air pollution (HAP) from the burning biomass fuels. Previous efforts document health benefits HAP mitigation have been stymied by an inability lower emissions target levels. Objectives: We sought determine if a intervention with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) improved cardiopulmonary outcomes in adult women living resource-poor setting Peru. Methods: conducted randomized controlled field trial 180 aged 25–64 years rural...
Household air pollution from biomass cooking is the most significant environmental health risk in Global South. Interventions to address this mostly promote less-polluting stoves and clean fuels, but their diffusion has proven difficult. This paper assesses potentially complementary role of ventilation reducing household pollution. Using state-of-the-art measurements kitchen concentrations particulate matter (PM2.5) personal exposure around 250 households rural Senegal, we show that higher...
Background: Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been found to be detrimental respiratory health of children, but few studies have examined the effects prenatal PM2.5 oxidative potential (OP) on lung function in infants and preschool children. Objectives: We estimated associations personal exposure OP during pregnancy offspring objective parameters compared strengths between both metrics. Methods: used data from 356 mother–child pairs SEPAGES cohort. PM filters collected twice a week were...
Abstract In sub-Saharan Africa, approximately 85% of the population uses polluting cooking fuels (e.g. wood, charcoal). Incomplete combustion these generates household air pollution (HAP), containing fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) and carbon monoxide (CO). Due to large spatial variability, increased quantification HAP levels is needed improve exposure assessment in Africa. The CLEAN-Air(Africa) study included 24-h monitoring PM CO kitchen concentrations (n pm2.5 = 248/n 207) female...
Lung function is adversely affected by exposure to household air pollution (HAP). Studies investigating the impact of prenatal and postnatal HAP on early childhood lung development are limited, especially from Sub-Saharan Africa. We used oscillometry investigate children born Nigerian women who participated in a randomized controlled cookstove intervention trial. performed oscillometric measurements (R: airway resistance; X: reactance; Fres: resonant frequency; AX: reactance area) 223...
Few studies have examined particulate matter (PM) exposure from self-reported use of wood stoves and other indoor combustion sources in urban settings developed countries. We measured concentrations PM < 2.5 microns (PM2.5) for one week with the MicroPEM™ nephelometer 36 households greater Oslo, Norway metropolitan area. PM2.5 levels relation to during a 7 day monitoring period using mixed effects linear models adjustment ambient levels. Mean hourly were higher (p = 0.04) 14 homes stove...
Abstract The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness and acceptability of locally tailored implementation improved cookstoves/heaters in low- middle-income countries. This interventional study among 649 adults children living rural communities Uganda, Vietnam Kyrgyzstan, performed after situational analyses awareness programmes. Outcomes included household air pollution (PM 2.5 CO), self-reported respiratory symptoms (with CCQ MRC-breathlessness scale), chest infections, school absence...
This study assessed the performance of modeling approaches to estimate personal exposure in Kenyan homes where cooking fuel combustion contributes substantially household air pollution (HAP). We measured emissions (PM2.5, black carbon, CO); stove use; and behavioral, socioeconomic, environmental characteristics (eg, ventilation kitchen volume). then applied various approaches: a single-zone model; indirect models, which combine person-location area-level measurements; predictive statistical...
Abstract. Atmospheric aerosols directly affect climate by scattering and absorbing radiation. The magnitude of the impact is dependent upon wavelength light, but often estimated near 550 nm. When light absorption approximated, dependence refractive index for specific components lost. As a result, models would have inherent uncertainties aerosol contributions to radiative forcing when considering entire solar spectrum. An extinction differential optical spectrometer has been developed measure...
Airborne viruses represent a potentially significant health threat. However, only recently have researchers begun to characterize the size and infectivity of viral bioaerosols in nanoscale range. There are limitations generation test aerosols ability sample with acceptable efficiency. Reported here is use laminar-flow water condensation method efficiently sizes well below 100 nm. We used MS2 bacteriophage provide an aerosol particles from 300 nm down 45 for sampling by both all-glass...
The primary aim of this study is to explore the utility machine learning algorithms for predicting personal PM2.5 exposures elderly participants and evaluate effect individual variables on model performance. Personal was measured five consecutive days across seasons in 66 retired adults Beijing (BJ) Nanjing (NJ), China. potential predictors were extracted from routine monitoring data (ambient concentrations meteorological factors), basic questionnaires (personal household characteristics),...
A pilot study of indoor air pollution produced by biomass cookstoves was conducted in 53 homes Sri Lanka to assess respiratory conditions associated with stove type ("Anagi" or "Traditional"), kitchen characteristics (e.g., presence a chimney the home, cooking area), and concentrations personal particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers diameter (PM2.5). Each primary cook reported for herself (cough, phlegm, wheeze, asthma) children (wheeze living her household. For cooks, at least one...
The recent development of an Aerosol Extinction Differential Optical Absorption Spectrometer (AE-DOAS) has allowed for the retrieval wavelength dependent complex refractive indices polystyrene latex spheres (PSL). AE-DOAS is a white-type multi-pass gas cell coupled to UV-Vis spectrometer. Refractive index values are retrieved wavelengths between 220 and 420 nm by minimizing χ2 goodness-of-fit measured extinction five diameters PSL model Mie Theory predictions. Comparison literature shows...
Household air pollution (HAP) emitted from solid fuel combustion for cooking and heating is responsible 4.3 million premature deaths annually. Those most affected include women young children in resource-limited countries. The current standard practice reducing HAP exposure to replace traditional cookstoves with more efficient improved stoves. However, the relationship between reduction potential health benefits has been quantified at limited levels. Accurate personal data have not available...
Brick workers and their families in Nepal generally live poorly ventilated on-site housing at the brick kiln, may be higher risk for non-occupational exposure to fine particulate matter air pollution subsequent respiratory diseases due indoor outdoor sources. This study characterized PM2.5 by comparing overall concentrations specific chemical components of inside outside workers' housing. For all samples, geometric mean concentration was 184.65 μg/m3 (95% confidence interval: 134.70, 253.12...