| A Comparison of Particulate Matter from Biomass-Burning Rural and Non-Biomass-Burning Urban Households in Northeastern China Ruoting Jiang1 and Michelle L. Bell2 1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA; 2School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA Abstract
Background: Biomass fuel is the primary source of domestic fuel in much of rural China. Previous studies have not characterized particle exposure through time–activity diaries or personal monitoring in mainland China. Objectives: In this study we characterized indoor and personal particle exposure in six households in northeastern China (three urban, three rural) and explored differences by location, cooking status, activity, and fuel type. Rural homes used biomass. Urban homes used a combination of electricity and natural gas. Methods: Stationary monitors measured hourly indoor particulate matter (PM) with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 µm (PM10) for rural and urban kitchens, urban sitting rooms, and outdoors. Personal monitors for PM with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5) were employed for 10 participants. Time–activity patterns in 30-min intervals were recorded by researchers for each participant. Results: Stationary monitoring results indicate that rural kitchen PM10 levels are three times higher than those in urban kitchens during cooking. PM10 was 6.1 times higher during cooking periods than during noncooking periods for rural kitchens. Personal PM2.5 levels for rural cooks were 2.8–3.6 times higher than for all other participant categories. The highest PM2.5 exposures occurred during cooking periods for urban and rural cooks. However, rural cooks had 5.4 times higher PM2.5 levels during cooking than did urban cooks. Rural cooks spent 2.5 times more hours per day cooking than did their urban counterparts. Conclusions: These findings indicate that biomass burning for cooking contributes substantially to indoor particulate levels and that this exposure is particularly elevated for cooks. Second-by-second personal PM2.5 exposures revealed differences in exposures by population group and strong temporal heterogeneity that would be obscured by aggregate metrics. Key words: biomass fuels, China, exposure assessment, household energy, indoor air pollution, particulate matter, PM10, PM2.5, rural health. Environ Health Perspect 116:907–914 (2008) . doi:10.1289/ehp.10622 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 24 March 2008]
Address correspondence to M.L. Bell, Yale University, 205 Prospect St., New Haven, CT 06511 USA. Telephone: (203) 432-9869. Fax: (203) 432-3817. E-mail: michelle.bell@yale.edu We thank study participants, X. Sun and J. Liu from the Northeastern Electricity Corporation Research Institute in China, and K. Ebisu of Yale University. Funding for R.J. was provided by the Yale University Tropical Research Institute, East Asian Studies Summer Research and Travel Grants, and Cameron Speth Fellowship. Funding for M.L.B. was provided by the Health Effects Institute through the Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award (4720-RFA04-2/04-16) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Outstanding New Environmental Scientist (ONES) Award (R01 ES015028) . This article represents the views of the authors and not necessarily those of the sponsoring agencies. Mention of commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation. The authors declare they have no competing financial interests. Received 1 July 2007 ; accepted 21 March 2008.
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