Familial Differences in Personal PM Exposure within a Rural African Community Explained with Spatiotemporal Exposure Apportionment.

Journal: Environmental science & technology
Published Date: Jul 24, 2025

Abstract

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) from solid-fuel combustion is a major determinant of global morbidity and mortality. However, variations in exposure remain uncertain across many high-risk populations. This work describes personal PM exposures among household members (adult men, adult women, and children) in rural sub-Saharan Africa, where biomass fuel is the primary household energy source. We assessed personal PM exposures using wearable monitors that combined real-time sensing, time-integrated (gravimetric filter) sampling, and continuous location-activity tracking over 48 h periods. A total of 1280 samples were collected from 579 Rwandan homes over a 15-month period comprising 304 men (aged 23-84 years), 495 women (aged 20-84 years), and 481 children (aged 8-17 years). Linear mixed models, controlling for household, suggested that children were exposed to 14% (CI: 6, 22%) more PM than their mothers and 100% (CI: 85, 117%) more than their fathers. Spatiotemporal analyses, aggregated into various microenvironments (e.g., home, school, transit, agricultural fieldwork), reveal that children bore a disproportionate exposure burden from in-home cooking activities compared with their parents. Results from this work indicate that interventions for household energy systems, in conjunction with familial lifestyle and behavior modifications, are necessary to reduce personal PM exposures in rural Rwanda, especially among children.

Authors

  • Ky Tanner
    Department of Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, United States.
  • Howard H Chang
    Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
  • Maggie L Clark
    Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States.
  • Vincent Cleveland
    Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States.
  • Egide Kalisa
    Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario N6G 2M1, Canada.
  • Kayleigh P Keller
    Department of Statistics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80524, United States.
  • Christian L'Orange
    Department of Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, United States.
  • Theoneste Ntakirutimana
    College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda.
  • Casey Quinn
    Department of Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, United States.
  • Rebecca Witinok-Huber
    Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States.
  • Bonnie N Young
    Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States.
  • John Volckens
    Department of Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521, United States.

Keywords

External Resources

Popular Topics
Recent Journals