文摘
Most previous studies on indoor air pollution fromhousehold use of solid fuels have used either indirectproxies for human exposure or measurements of individualpollutants at a single point, as indicators of (exposureto) the mixture of pollutants in solid fuel smoke. Aheterogeneous relationship among pollutant-locationpairs should be expected because specific fuel-stovetechnology and combustion and dispersion conditions suchas temperature, moisture, and air flow are likely toaffect the emissions and dispersion of the various pollutantsdifferently. We report on a study for monitoring multiplepollutants-including respirable particles (RPM), carbonmonoxide, sulfur dioxide, fluoride, and arsenic-at four pointsinside homes that used coal and/or biomass fuels inGuizhou and Shaanxi provinces of China. All pollutantsexhibited large variability in emissions and spatial dispersionwithin and between provinces and were generally poorlycorrelated. RPM, followed by SO2, was generally higher thancommon health-based guidelines/standards and providedsufficient resolution for assessing variations within andbetween households in both provinces. Indoor heating playedan important role in the level and spatial patterns ofpollution inside homes, possibly to an extent more importantthan cooking. The findings indicate the need for monitoringof RPM and selected other pollutants in longer-termhealth studies, with focus on both cooking and living/sleeping areas.