title: Field testing of alternative cookstove performance in a rural setting of western India.
abstract: Nearly three billion people use solid fuels for cooking and heating, which leads to extremely high levels of household air pollution and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Many stove manufacturers have developed alternative cookstoves (ACSs) that are aimed at reducing emissions and fuel consumption. Here, we tested a traditional clay chulha cookstove (TCS) and five commercially available ACSs, including both natural draft (Greenway Smart Stove, Envirofit PCS-1) and forced draft stoves (BioLite HomeStove, Philips Woodstove HD4012, and Eco-Chulha XXL), in a test kitchen in a rural village of western India. Compared to the TCS, the ACSs produced significant reductions in particulate matter less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5) and CO concentrations (Envirofit: 22%/16%, Greenway: 24%/42%, BioLite: 40%/35%, Philips: 66%/55% and Eco-Chulha: 61%/42%), which persisted after normalization for fuel consumption or useful energy. PM2.5 and CO concentrations were lower for forced draft stoves than natural draft stoves. Furthermore, the Philips and Eco-Chulha units exhibited higher cooking efficiency than the TCS. Despite significant reductions in concentrations, all ACSs failed to achieve PM2.5 levels that are considered safe by the World Health Organization (ACSs: 277-714 μg/m³ or 11-28 fold higher than the WHO recommendation of 25 μg/m³).
authors: Vadu Rural Health Program, KEM Hospital Research Centre, Pune 411011, India. muralidharanveena@gmail.com.
authors: Veena
authors: V
authors: Muralidharan
authors: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. tsussan1@jhu.edu.
authors: Thomas E
authors: TE
authors: Sussan
authors: Chest Research Foundation, Pune 411014, India. snehalimaye@crfindia.com.
authors: Sneha
authors: S
authors: Limaye
authors: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. kkoehle1@jhu.edu.
authors: Kirsten
authors: K
authors: Koehler
authors: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. dwilli20@jhu.edu.
authors: D'Ann L
authors: DL
authors: Williams
authors: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. arule1@jhu.edu.
authors: Ana M
authors: AM
authors: Rule
authors: Vadu Rural Health Program, KEM Hospital Research Centre, Pune 411011, India. sanjay.juvekar@gmail.com.
authors: Sanjay
authors: S
authors: Juvekar
authors: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. pbreyss1@jhu.edu.
authors: Patrick N
authors: PN
authors: Breysse
authors: Chest Research Foundation, Pune 411014, India. ssalvi@crfindia.com.
authors: Sundeep
authors: S
authors: Salvi
authors: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. sbiswal@jhu.edu.
authors: Shyam
authors: S
authors: Biswal
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003297:Cooking and Eating Utensils; D004736:Energy-Generating Resources; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis*; D012423:Rural Health; D014934:Wood
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter
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