A Descriptive Assessment of Household Air Pollution in Rural Kitchens in Kenya

Abstract

Efforts to ensure households transition to modern fuels are expected to reduce household air pollution. However, exposure to toxic particles and gases in fuel stacking households remains under-researched. We implemented a household survey to identify household energy sources and assess exposure to particulate matter with diameter of ≤5 microns (PM2.5), ≤10 microns (PM10) and select polluting gases (Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOCs), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO)) in a rural community. Wood was the main cooking fuel in 94.2% (1615/1703) households with fuel stacking reported in 86.1% (1462/1703) of total households. Daily time-weighted average concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 were beyond World Health Organization (WHO) limits in wood-using households (189.53 (Standard deviation (SD) = 268.80) µg/m3 and 592.38 (SD = 623) µg/m3, respectively) and Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) -using households (57.2 (SD = 53.6) µg/m3 and 189.86 (SD = 168) µg/m3, respectively). Only daily average CO and TVOC concentration in wood-using households exceeded recommended levels. Household socio-economic status, education level of the head of household, use of a separate kitchen and household size influenced household energy choices. Rural households using wood as the main cooking fuel are exposed to high levels of particulate matter, carbon monoxide and total volatile organic compounds. LPG-using households may not realize health benefits if stacking with polluting fuels is practiced.