Efficacy of interventions targeting household air pollution from residential wood stoves

• Published in: Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology Vol. 27; no. 1; pp. 64 - 71
• Main Authors: Ward, Tony J, Semmens, Erin O, Weiler, Emily, Harrar, Solomon, Noonan, Curtis W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Nature Publishing Group US 01.01.2017; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 704/172/169/895; Air Filters; Air Pollutants - analysis; Air pollution; Air Pollution, Indoor - analysis; Air Pollution, Indoor - prevention & control; Air quality; Air quality management; Airborne particulates; Asthma; Burning; Carbon monoxide; Carbon Monoxide - analysis; Cooking; Environmental aspects; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Epidemiology; Evaluation; Exposure; Filtration; Health aspects; Heating - methods; Households; Housing; Humans; Indoor air pollution; Indoor air quality; Indoor environments; Intervention; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Methods; original-article; Ovens & stoves; Particle Size; Particulate Matter; Placebos; Prevention; Smoke; Smoke - analysis; Smoke - prevention & control; Socioeconomic Factors; Stoves; Stoves, Wood; United States; Wood; Wood - analysis; Wood stoves; Alaska; Montana; Idaho; United States; PM; wood stoves; household air pollution
• ISSN: 1559-0631; 1559-064X
• DOI: 10.1038/jes.2015.73

Wood is commonly used for residential heating, but there are limited evidence-based interventions for reducing wood smoke exposures in the indoor environment. The Asthma Randomized Trial of Indoor Wood Smoke (ARTIS) study was designed to assess the efficacy of residential interventions to reduce indoor PM exposure from wood stoves. As part of a three-arm randomized placebo-controlled trial, two household-level interventions were evaluated: wood stove changeouts and air filtration units. Exposure outcomes included indoor measures such as continuous PM 2.5 , particle counts, and carbon monoxide. Median indoor PM 2.5 concentration was 17.5  μ g/m 3 in wood-burning homes prior to interventions. No significant reductions in PM 2.5 concentrations were observed in the 40 homes receiving the placebo filter intervention. Sixteen homes received the wood stove changeout and showed no significant changes in PM 2.5 or particle counts. PM 2.5 concentrations were reduced by 68% in the filter intervention homes. Relative to placebo, air filtration unit homes had an overall PM 2.5 reduction of 63% (95% CI: 47–75%). Relative to the wood stove changeout, the filtration unit intervention was more efficacious and less expensive, yet compliance issues indicated a need for the evaluation of additional strategies for improving indoor air quality in homes using wood stoves.