title: Indoor Air Quality in Central Appalachia Homes Impacted by Wood and Coal Use.
abstract: Though the high prevalence of biomass fuel use in the developing world is widely known, the use of burning biomass for cooking and heating in the developed world is under-recognized. Combustion materials including coal and wood are also used for heating in some areas of the United States. We conducted a pilot study to assess the feasibility of conducting indoor environmental monitoring in rural Appalachia. We sought to explore the type of biomass being used for home heating and its impact upon indoor air quality in non-heating and heating seasons. Residential indoor air monitoring for particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) was conducted in Lee County, Virginia. Homes had evidence of poor indoor air quality with high concentrations of indoor PM and a large burden of cigarette smoking. Further characterization of indoor combustion material use in this region to determine the health impacts associated with such exposures is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA.
authors.forename: Laura M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Paulin
authors.affiliation: Division of Environmental Health Engineering, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA.
authors.forename: D'Ann
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Appalachia Service Project, Johnson City, USA.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oberweiser
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA.
authors.forename: Gregory B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Diette
authors.affiliation: Division of Environmental Health Engineering, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA.
authors.forename: Patrick N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Breysse
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA.
authors.forename: Meredith M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: McCormack
authors.affiliation: Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Matsui
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, USA.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, East Tennessee State University College of Public Health, Johnson City, USA.
authors.forename: Tricia A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Metts
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA.
authors.forename: Nadia N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Hansel
keywords: Biomass; Indoor Air Pollution; Rural Environment