Indoor Particulate Matter Concentration, Water Boiling Time, and Fuel Use of Selected Alternative Cookstoves in a Home-Like Setting in Rural Nepal

Kristen D. Ojo, Sutyajeet I. Soneja, Carolyn G. Scrafford, Subarna K. Khatry, Steven C. LeClerq, William Checkley, Joanne Katz, Patrick N. Breysse and James M. Tielsch
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Kristen D. Ojo: Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Sutyajeet I. Soneja: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Carolyn G. Scrafford: Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Subarna K. Khatry: Nepal Nutrition Intervention Project Sarlahi—Harioun, Sarlahi 45804, Nepal
Steven C. LeClerq: Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
William Checkley: Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Joanne Katz: Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Patrick N. Breysse: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
James M. Tielsch: Department of Global Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, 950 New Hampshire Ave., NW Suite 400, Washington, DC 20052, USA

IJERPH, 2015, vol. 12, issue 7, 1-24

Abstract: Alternative cookstoves are designed to improve biomass fuel combustion efficiency to reduce the amount of fuel used and lower emission of air pollutants. The Nepal Cookstove Trial (NCT) studies effects of alternative cookstoves on family health. Our study measured indoor particulate matter concentration (PM 2.5 ), boiling time, and fuel use of cookstoves during a water-boiling test in a house-like setting in rural Nepal. Study I was designed to select a stove to be used in the NCT; Study II evaluated stoves used in the NCT. In Study I, mean indoor PM 2.5 using wood fuel was 4584 ?g/m 3 , 1657 ?g/m 3 , and 2414 ?g/m 3 for the traditional, alternative mud brick stove (AMBS-I) and Envirofit G-series, respectively. The AMBS-I reduced PM 2.5 concentration but increased boiling time compared to the traditional stove ( p -values < 0.001). Unlike AMBS-I, Envirofit G-series did not significantly increase overall fuel consumption. In Phase II, the manufacturer altered Envirofit stove (MAES) and Nepal Nutrition Intervention Project Sarlahi (NNIPS) altered Envirofit stove (NAES), produced lower mean PM 2.5 , 1573 ?g/m 3 and 1341 ?g/m 3 , respectively, relative to AMBS-II 3488 ?g/m 3 for wood tests. The liquid propane gas stove had the lowest mean PM 2.5 concentrations, with measurements indistinguishable from background levels. Results from Study I and II showed significant reduction in PM 2.5 for all alternative stoves in a controlled setting. In study I, the AMBS-I stove required more fuel than the traditional stove. In contrast, in study II, the MAES and NAES stoves required statistically less fuel than the AMBS-II. Reductions and increases in fuel use should be interpreted with caution because the composition of fuels was not standardized—an issue which may have implications for generalizability of other findings as well. Boiling times for alternative stoves in Study I were significantly longer than the traditional stove—a trade-off that may have implications for acceptability of the stoves among end users. These extended cooking times may increase cumulative exposure during cooking events where emission rates are lower; these differences must be carefully considered in the evaluation of alternative stove designs.

Keywords: alternative cookstove performance; airborne particulate concentration; PM; indoor air pollution; biomass fuel use; water boiling test (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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