Monitoring of indoor particulate matter during burning of mosquito coil, incense sticks and dhoop

Abstract

Background: Indoor combustion source, like incenses, are commonly used for aesthetic and religious purposes in various indoor as well as outdoor environments. The combustion leads to the production of a large amount of smoke, which can pose a health risk due to inhalation exposure of particulate matter (PM). Objective: Monitoring of PM (PM 10 , PM 2.5 , and PM 1 ) during the preburning, burning and postburning phases of incenses (agarbatti and dhoop) and mosquito coil in the indoor environment. Materials and Methods: The monitoring of PM was carried out using the Grimm Portable Laser Aerosol Spectrometer and dust monitor model 1.108/1.109. The substances used were mosquito coil, incense (sandal), incense (floral sticks) and dhoop. The data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical package version 14.0 for windows (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA), using one-way analysis of variance to compare the PM 10 , PM 2.5 and PM 1.0 concentration levels. Results: The mean concentrations of PM 10 (1879.7 μ/m 3 ), PM 2.5 (1775.4 μ/m 3 ) and PM 1 (1300.1 μ/m 3 ) during burning phase were highest for dhoop. The mean concentrations of PM 10 , PM 2.5 and PM 1 during burning of mosquito coil were 259.2 μ/m 3 , 232.4 μ/m 3 and 214.0 μ/m 3 respectively. The burning of incense (flora) had PM 10 (854.1 μ/m 3 ), PM 2.5 (779.8 μ/m 3 ) and PM 1 (699.8 μ/m 3 ), which were higher, in comparison to burning of incense (sandal). The particulate emission during the burning of dhoop (PM 10, PM 2.5, PM 1 ) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than incense (sandal and flora) and mosquito coil. The concentrations of PM 10 , PM 2.5 and PM 1 even during postburning phase were significantly higher for dhoop in comparison to other three products, resulting in prolonged exposure even after the cessation of burning phase. Conclusion: The study suggests burning of dhoop, incense sticks and mosquito coil in the indoor environment emit quiet higher respirable PM, which may accumulate on prolonged exposure and lead to respiratory illnesses.