Examining the Chemical and Optical Properties of Biomass-burning Aerosols and their Impact on Oxidative Potential
Abstract The use of biomass fuels for cooking persists on a large scale in rural areas of many low-and middle-income countries, including India. Exposure to emissions from biomass cooking is linked with adverse respiratory health outcomes - likely mediated through the oxidative potential of particul...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Springer
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Aerosol and Air Quality Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.230102 |
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| Summary: | Abstract The use of biomass fuels for cooking persists on a large scale in rural areas of many low-and middle-income countries, including India. Exposure to emissions from biomass cooking is linked with adverse respiratory health outcomes - likely mediated through the oxidative potential of particulate matter (PM). This study aims to measure the oxidative potential (OP) of biomass aerosols in rural kitchens and examine its association with aerosol chemical and optical properties. Field measurements were conducted to collect PM2.5 from biomass fuel cooking in rural Maharashtra, India. Chemical and optical methods were employed to understand PM characteristics, while OP was measured using Dithiothreitol (DTT) assay. The average (± SD) indoor PM2.5, OC, EC, BC, and WSOC during cooking using biomass fuels were 1025 ± 1001, 203 ± 196, 140 ± 133, 112 ± 61, and 130 ± 118 µg m−3, respectively, and the corresponding village outdoor levels were ~12.8 (p = 0.04), 4.9 (p = 0.14), 19.8 (p = 0.09), 23.6 (p = 0.01), and 8.1 (p = 0.12) folds (statistical significance of difference) lower, respectively. The volume normalized oxidative potential (DTTv) of PM from biomass cooking was 25.3 nmol DTT min−1 m−3, which was an order of magnitude higher redox active than rural ambient PM. Carbonaceous components of the PM correlated positively with the OP, having a significant association with EC1 (R = 0.83), BC (R = 0.93), and absorption coefficient (WSOC babs, 365) (R = 0.97). Our findings suggest that emissions from biomass cooking may pose a substantial risk to a large population, in particular to women and young children in rural areas and that the toxicity of the emitted PM from biomass cooking is likely due to soot and the absorbing OC in PM. |
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| ISSN: | 1680-8584 2071-1409 |