Indoor Air Pollution in Coastal Houses Using Solid Cooking Fuels: a Pilot Study in Mindanao, the Philippines

Abstract

P-322 Abstract: Under cooperative agreement with USAID/Washington, Winrock International undertook an exploratory study on household energy, indoor air pollution, and perceptions of health impacts in Southern Philippines, with two primary objectives: to determine the extent to which indoor air pollution from cooking practices represented a serious problem meriting consideration of a household energy intervention; and to pilot survey and monitoring instruments for use in the design and evaluation of household energy interventions, in the Philippines and/or in other country contexts. The study involved 120 households across three areas in which Winrock is implementing the USAID/Manila-supported Alliance for Mindanao Off-grid Rural Electrification Project (AMORE). The results of the study suggest that indoor air pollution from cooking does not represent a serious health risk to women, despite the fact that the vast majority of women surveyed cook with biomass over open fires. The indoor air pollution (IAP) monitoring conducted in a subset of 30 households revealed very low area concentrations of particulate matter (PM4) – 72 micrograms/m3 and carbon monoxide – 1 ppm. PM4 was measured using the gravimetric technique with a Higgins-Dewell type of cyclone (manufactured by BGI Inc.). CO was measured using the T82 real-time potentiometric monitor manufactured by the Industrial Scientific Corporation. This cyclone provides a 4 microns median cut off with an air flow rate of 2.2 L/min. Personal exposure monitoring of CO, which is commonly measured as a proxy for personal PM from biomass smoke, also revealed very low 24-hour averages (1 ppm); however, peaks of acute exposure were evident during cooking times. The results of this study highlight the fact that low 24-hour averages of PM can mask the acute exposure that women have to PM during cooking periods. It was observed that the number of meals cooked in a day had a significant effect on PM4. CO area levels were influenced significantly by kitchen location and number of doors in the kitchen. This is one of the few studies that highlights the critical role of ventilation related factors in determining indoor exposures in such homes.