Comparison of next-generation portable pollution monitors to measure exposure to PM2.5 from household air pollution in Puno, Peru

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Vanessa J. Burrowes, Johns Hopkins University; Ricardo Piedrahita, Berkeley Air Monitoring Group; Ajay Pillarisetti, Emory University; Lindsay J. Underhill, Johns Hopkins University; Magdalena Fandino-Del-Rio, Johns Hopkins University; Michael Johnson, Berkeley Air Monitoring Group; Josiah L. Kephart, Johns Hopkins University; Stella M. Hartinger, Johns Hopkins University; Nelson Steenland, Emory University; Luke Naeher, University of Georgia; Katie Kearns, University of Georgia; Jennifer L. Peel, Colorado State University; Maggie L. Clark, Colorado State University; William Checkley, Johns Hopkins University; Thomas Clasen, Emory University; Lisa Thompson, Emory University; Dana Boyd Barr, Emory University; P Barry Ryan, Emory University; Howard Chang, Emory University; Lisa Elon, Emory University; Azhar Nizam, Emory University; Lance Waller, Emory University; Usha Ramakrishnan, Emory University; Jeremy Sarnat, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2020-01-23
• Publisher: WILEY
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2020 The Authors. Indoor Air published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ina.12638
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: INDOOR AIR
• Volume: 30
• Issue: 3
• Start Page: 445
• End Page: 458
• Keywords: exposure assessment; Engineering, Environmental; lower- and middle-income countries; FUEL; GLOBAL BURDEN; Construction & Building Technology; household air pollution; Engineering; LESS-THAN; Science & Technology; Technology; Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; instrument validation; DISEASE; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; fine particulate matter; personal exposure; PARTICULATE MATTER; PATTERNS
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Occupational Health and Safety; Health Sciences, Public Health; Environmental Sciences

Abstract

Assessment of personal exposure to PM2.5 is critical for understanding intervention effectiveness and exposure-response relationships in household air pollution studies. In this pilot study, we compared PM2.5 concentrations obtained from two next-generation personal exposure monitors (the Enhanced Children MicroPEM or ECM; and the Ultrasonic Personal Air Sampler or UPAS) to those obtained with a traditional Triplex Cyclone and SKC Air Pump (a gravimetric cyclone/pump sampler). We co-located cyclone/pumps with an ECM and UPAS to obtain 24-hour kitchen concentrations and personal exposure measurements. We measured Spearmen correlations and evaluated agreement using the Bland-Altman method. We obtained 215 filters from 72 ECM and 71 UPAS co-locations. Overall, the ECM and the UPAS had similar correlation (ECM ρ = 0.91 vs UPAS ρ = 0.88) and agreement (ECM mean difference of 121.7 µg/m3 vs UPAS mean difference of 93.9 µg/m3) with overlapping confidence intervals when compared against the cyclone/pump. When adjusted for the limit of detection, agreement between the devices and the cyclone/pump was also similar for all samples (ECM mean difference of 68.8 µg/m3 vs UPAS mean difference of 65.4 µg/m3) and personal exposure samples (ECM mean difference of −3.8 µg/m3 vs UPAS mean difference of −12.9 µg/m3). Both the ECM and UPAS produced comparable measurements when compared against a cyclone/pump setup.