Geneva Health Forum 2024

Solutions for indoor air pollution during the herding season in Bumthang, Bhutan

Not scheduled

15m

Geneva

Oral presentation or scientific poster Health and the environment, time for solutions

Description

Introduction

Domestic biomass burning is a major environmental health challenge in the Global South and open tripod fires pose a considerable health risk. Rural households in Bhutan predominantly burn biomass for heat and energy. Despite major national electrification efforts, many mountain communities do not have access to any infrastructure services during their herding seasons.

Objectives

• Explore the indoor air pollutant (IAP) exposure profile of the
  Brokpa communities of Bumthang, Bhutan
• Conduct an IAP-relevant health assessment for these communities
• Meet a critical environmental health need expressed by these
  communities in the form of a stove distribution effort
• Further investigate the energy behaviors and environmental health
  needs of these communities

Methods

• Low-cost 2.5-um particulate matter (PM2.5) active sensors
• Passive air pollutant samplers
• Community questionnaires
• Clinical evaluations of community members

Preliminary Results

IAP exposure findings

• Average peak PM2.5 concentration during the mean burn time of 1 hour
  51 minutes was 1288 ug/m3 (range 409-2342) with tripod open fire
• Average PM2.5 concentration during the mean burn time of 1 hour 51
  minutes was 459 ug/m3 (range 37-1685) with tripod open fire
• Average peak PM2.5 concentration at mean burn time of 1 hour 55
  minutes was 43 ug/m3 (range: 2-78) with Bhukari stove
• Average PM2.5 concentration at mean burn time of 1 hour 55 minutes
  was 13 ug/m3 (range 0.13-20) with Bhukari stove

Respiratory problems among participants with possible association to IAP (N=25)*

• Prevalence of shortness of breath several days per week was 16%
• Prevalence of wheezing attacks several or most days per week was 64%
• Prevalence of 1-3 instances of severe chest trouble in previous year
  was 36%
• Prevalence of cough and productive cough several or most days per
  week were 32% and 12% (N=25), respectively
• In addition, prevalence of repeated upper respiratory infections
  was 17.40% (N=23)

Other health problems with possible association to IAP (N=23)

• Prevalence of repeated itchy eyes or eye infections was 95.70%
• Prevalence of repeated headaches was 91.30%
• Prevalence of frequent runny nose, coughs, or cold was 34.80%

Innovative aspects

• Use of FreshAir clips- new air quality monitoring technology
• Use of advanced air pollution sensing technology in remote and
  resource-constrained setting, thereby demonstrating the real value
  of new low-cost sensors for community-based research
• First to undertake such an in-depth and specific environmental
  health needs assessment in this remote area

Conclusions

• Bukharidemonstrated vastly superior pollution performance than
  tripod fires, approaching WHO interim guidelines
• Community members have unacceptably high rates of health problems
  possibly associated with IAP
• Preliminary data warrants a more rigorous, deeper, and broader
  environmental health risk assessment for these and similar
  communities
• Evidence of acceptability and effectiveness justifies broader stove
  distribution efforts
• Methodological abilities demonstrated in difficult research context;
  evidence in support of broader, systematised community IAP
  monitoring
• Good community and researcher partnerships built for future work