Randomized trial in rural Native American homes heated with wood stoves: results from the EldersAIR study.

Residential wood burning has both practical and traditional value among many indigenous communities of the United States Mountain West, although household biomass burning also results in emissions that are harmful to health. In a household-level three-arm placebo-controlled randomized trial we tested the efficacy of portable filtration units and education interventions on improving pulmonary function and blood pressure measures among elder participants that use wood stoves for residential heating. A total of 143 participants were assigned to the Education (n=49), Filter (n=47), and Control (n=47) arms.

Occurrence and Risk Assessment of Personal PM-Bound Phthalates Exposure for Adults in Hong Kong.

We performed personal PM monitoring involving 56 adult residents in Hong Kong. Additionally, paired personal and residential indoor fine particle (PM) samples were collected from 26 homes and from 3 fixed monitoring locations (i.e.

Validity of using ambient concentrations as surrogate exposures at the individual level for fine particle and black carbon: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Exposure measurement error is an important source of bias in epidemiological studies. We assessed the validity of employing ambient (outdoor) measurements as proxies of personal exposures at individual levels focusing on fine particles (PM) and black carbon (BC)/elemental carbon (EC) on a global scale. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis and searched databases (ISI Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE®, Ovid Embase, and Ovid BIOSIS) to retrieve observational studies in English language published from 1 January 2006 until 5 May 2021.

Efficacy of air filtration and education interventions on fine particulate matter among rural Native American homes heated with wood stoves: Results from the EldersAIR randomized trial.

Background: Native Americans living in rural areas often rely upon wood stoves for home heating that can lead to elevated indoor concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM). Wood stove use is associated with adverse health outcomes, which can be a particular risk in vulnerable populations including older adults.

Objectives: We assessed the impact of portable air filtration units and educational approaches that incorporated elements of traditional knowledge on indoor and personal PM concentrations among rural, Native American elder households with wood stoves.

Efficacy of Air Filtration and Education Interventions on Indoor Fine Particulate Matter and Child Lower Respiratory Tract Infections among Rural U.S. Homes Heated with Wood Stoves: Results from the KidsAIR Randomized Trial.

Background: Millions of rural U.S. households are heated with wood stoves.

Characteristics and health risks of personal exposure to particle-bound PAHs for Hong Kong adult residents: From ambient pollution to indoor exposure.

Research on individual level polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) exposure is scarce. Moreover, the independent contribution of ambient- and indoor-origin PAHs to personal exposure remains poorly studied. We performed simultaneous ambient, residential indoor, and personal exposure measurements in a panel of healthy adults to investigate particle-bound PAHs, focusing on their carcinogenic congeners (cPAHs).

Indoor fine particulate matter and demographic, household, and wood stove characteristics among rural US homes heated with wood fuel.

Household heating using wood stoves is common practice in many rural areas of the United States (US) and can lead to elevated concentrations of indoor fine particulate matter (PM ). We collected 6-day measures of indoor PM during the winter and evaluated household and stove-use characteristics in homes at three rural and diverse study sites. The median indoor PM concentration across all homes was 19 µg/m , with higher concentrations in Alaska (median = 30, minimum = 4, maximum = 200, n = 10) and Navajo Nation homes (median = 29, minimum = 3, maximum = 105, n = 23) compared with Montana homes (median = 16, minimum = 2, maximum = 139, n = 59).

Toxicological effects of personal exposure to fine particles in adult residents of Hong Kong.

Toxicological studies have demonstrated the associations between fine particle (PM) components and various cytotoxic endpoints. However, few studies have investigated the toxicological effects of source-specific PM at the individual level. To investigate the potential impact of source-specific PM on cytotoxic effects, we performed repeated personal PM monitoring of 48 adult participants in Hong Kong during the winter and summer of 2014-2015.

Characteristics and toxicological effects of commuter exposure to black carbon and metal components of fine particles (PM) in Hong Kong.

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated significant associations between traffic-related air pollution and adverse health outcomes. Personal exposure to fine particles (PM) in transport microenvironments and their toxicological properties remain to be investigated. Commuter exposures were investigated in public transport systems (including the buses and Mass Transit Railway (MTR)) along two sampling routes in Hong Kong.

Indoor, outdoor, and personal exposure to PM and their bioreactivity among healthy residents of Hong Kong.

Direct evidence about associations between fine particles (PM) components and the corresponding PM bioreactivity at the individual level is limited. We conducted a panel study with repeated personal measurements involving 56 healthy residents in Hong Kong. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) levels were measured from these subjects.

Wood stove interventions and child respiratory infections in rural communities: KidsAir rationale and methods.

Background: Acute lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) account for >27% of all hospitalizations among US children under five years of age. Residential burning of biomass for heat leads to elevated indoor levels of fine particulate matter (PM) that often exceed current health based air quality standards. This is concerning as PM exposure is associated with many adverse health outcomes, including a greater than three-fold increased risk of LRTIs.

Estimation of personal exposure to fine particles (PM) of ambient origin for healthy adults in Hong Kong.

Personal exposure and ambient fine particles (PM) measurements for 13 adult subjects (ages 19-57) were conducted in Hong Kong between April 2014 and June 2015. Six to 21 personal samples (mean = 19) per subject were obtained throughout the study period. Samples were analyzed for mass by gravimetric analysis, and 19 elements (from Na to Pb) were analyzed using X-Ray Fluorescence.

Determinants of personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) in adult subjects in Hong Kong.

Personal monitoring for fine particulate matter (PM) was conducted for adults (48 subjects, 18-63years of age) in Hong Kong during the summer and winter of 2014-2015. All filters were analyzed for PM mass and constituents (including carbonaceous aerosols, water-soluble ions, and elements). We found that season (p=0.

Randomized Trial of Interventions to Improve Childhood Asthma in Homes with Wood-burning Stoves.

Background: Household air pollution due to biomass combustion for residential heating adversely affects vulnerable populations. Randomized controlled trials to improve indoor air quality in homes of children with asthma are limited, and no such studies have been conducted in homes using wood for heating.

Objectives: Our aims were to test the hypothesis that household-level interventions, specifically improved-technology wood-burning appliances or air-filtration devices, would improve health measures, in particular Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) scores, relative to placebo, among children living with asthma in homes with wood-burning stoves.

Chemical characterization and sources of personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) in the megacity of Guangzhou, China.

Concurrent ambient and personal measurements of fine particulate matter (PM) were conducted in eight districts of Guangzhou during the winter of 2011. Personal-to-ambient (P-C) relationships of PM chemical components were determined and sources of personal PM exposures were evaluated using principal component analysis and a mixed-effects model. Water-soluble inorganic ions (e.

Reducing indoor air pollutants with air filtration units in wood stove homes.

Background: Biomass burning has been shown to be a major source of poor indoor air quality (IAQ) in developing and higher income countries across the world. Specifically, wood burning for cooking and heating contributes to high indoor concentrations of fine (particles with aerodynamic diameters<2.5μm; PM) and coarse (particles with aerodynamic diameters <10μm and >2.

The Clean Air and Healthy Homes Program: A Model for Authentic Science Learning.

(CAHHP) is a science education outreach program that involves students in research of their own design related to indoor and outdoor air pollution and links with respiratory health. The program, which provides equipment, lesson plans, and support to middle and high school classrooms and professional development for teachers, is an excellent model of how to engage students in relevant and authentic science research and learning. This article describes the current program, how it promotes authentic science learning in secondary science education, and the positive impact it has had on student learning and attitudes.

Measured Pulmonary and Systemic Markers of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress Following Wildland Firefighter Simulations.

Objective: A controlled human exposure study was conducted to investigate the impact of inhalational exposures to wood smoke PM2.5 on measured concentrations of airway and systemic inflammatory biomarkers.

Methods: Mimicking wildland firefighter activities, 10 participants were exposed to three doses of wood smoke PM2.

Air Toxics Under the Big Sky: Examining the Effectiveness of Authentic Scientific Research on High School Students' Science Skills and Interest.

is an environmental science outreach/education program that incorporates the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) 8 Practices with the goal of promoting knowledge and understanding of authentic scientific research in high school classrooms through air quality research. A quasi-experimental design was used in order to understand: 1) and 2) . Treatment students received instruction related to air pollution (airborne particulate matter), associated health concerns, and training on how to operate air quality testing equipment.

Efficacy of interventions targeting household air pollution from residential wood stoves.

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.

Indoor particulate matter in rural, wood stove heated homes.

Ambient particulate matter (PM) exposures have adverse impacts on public health, but research evaluating indoor PM concentrations in rural homes in the United States using wood as fuel for heating is limited. Our objectives were to characterize indoor PM mass and particle number concentrations (PNCs), quantify infiltration of outdoor PM into the indoor environment, and investigate potential predictors of concentrations and infiltration in 96 homes in the northwestern US and Alaska using wood stoves as the primary source of heating. During two forty-eight hour sampling periods during the pre-intervention winter of a randomized trial, we assessed PM mass (<2.

Evaluating the effect of ambient particulate pollution on DNA methylation in Alaskan sled dogs: potential applications for a sentinel model of human health.

Background: Exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) is known to be associated with increased morbidity and mortality in human populations. During the winter months in Fairbanks, Alaska, severe temperature inversions lead to elevated concentrations of ambient PM smaller than 2.5 μm (PM2.

Impacts of air cleaners on indoor air quality in residences impacted by wood smoke.

Residential wood combustion is an important source of ambient air pollution, accounting for over 25% of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions in Canada. In addition to these ambient contributions, wood smoke pollutants can enter the indoor environment directly when loading or stoking stoves, resulting in a high potential for human exposure.