Indoor exposure to respirable particulate matter and particulate-phase PAHs in rural homes in North India

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment Vol. 170; no. 1-4; pp. 491 - 497
• Main Authors: Ansari, Furquan Ahmad, Khan, Altaf Husain, Patel, Devendra Kumar, Siddiqui, Huma, Sharma, Shachi, Ashquin, Mohammad, Ahmad, Iqbal
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands 01.11.2010; Springer Netherlands; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Air Pollutants - analysis; Air pollution; Air Pollution, Indoor - analysis; Air Pollution, Indoor - statistics & numerical data; Airborne particulates; Applied sciences; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Biofuels; Biomass; Biomass energy; Cattle; Chloride; Chromatography; Cooking; Councils; Crop residues; Developing countries; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental cleanup; Environmental Management; Environmental Monitoring; Exact sciences and technology; Hazardous materials; Hydrocarbons; India; Indoor air pollution; Indoor air quality; Indoor environments; Indoor pollution; Industrial research; Inhalation; Inhalation Exposure - analysis; LDCs; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Outdoor air quality; PAHs; Particulate matter; Particulate Matter - analysis; PM; PM₂.; Pollutants; Pollution; Pollution levels; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - analysis; Population; Rural areas; Rural populations; Studies; Toxicity; Toxicology; Asia; India; Indoor pollution; PAHs; Biomass fuels; PM; Hydrocarbon; Biomass; Polycyclic aromatic compound; Housing; Mutagen; Coarse particle; Persistent organic pollutant; Carcinogen; Suspended particle; Ambient air concentration; Fine particle; Fuel; Aerosols; Rural area; Air pollution; Public health; Organic compounds
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-009-1249-2

In order to evaluate the exposure of the northern India rural population to polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) inhalation, indoor pollution was assessed by collecting and analyzing the respirable particulate matter PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀ in several homes of the village Bhithauli near Lucknow, UP. The home selection was determined by a survey. Given the nature of biomass used for cooking, homes were divided into two groups, one using all kinds of biomass and the second type using plant materials only. Indoor mean concentrations of PM₂.₅ and associated PAHs during cooking ranged from 1.19 ± 0.29 to 2.38 ± 0.35 and 6.21 ± 1.54 to 12.43 ± 1.15 μg/m³, respectively. Similarly, PM₁₀ and total PAHs were in the range of 3.95 ± 1.21 to 8.81 ± 0.78 and 7.75 ± 1.42 to 15.77 ± 1.05 μg/m³, respectively. The pollutant levels during cooking were significantly higher compared to the noncooking period. The study confirmed that indoor pollution depends on the kind of biomass fuel used for cooking.