Evaluating portable air cleaner effectiveness in residential settings to reduce exposures to biomass smoke resulting from prescribed burns.

IF 2.5 Q2 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Public Health Research & Practice Pub Date : 2024-04-04 DOI:10.17061/phrp33232307

Amanda J Wheeler, Fabienne Reisen, Christopher T Roulston, Martine Dennekamp, Nigel Goodman, Fay H Johnston

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Aim: Prescribed burning is the most common method employed to reduce fuel loads in flammable landscapes. This practice is designed to reduce the hazard associated with uncontrolled bushfires. Prescribed burns are frequently conducted close to residential areas, and the associated smoke impacts can adversely affect community health. Particulate matter is the predominant pollutant within the smoke and is strongly and consistently linked with adverse health effects. Outdoor smoke readily infiltrates buildings and reduces the quality of indoor air. Portable air cleaners containing high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters are a promising indoor air quality intervention for reducing outdoor smoke exposure.

Methods: We provided 10 homes from semirural regions of Victoria, Australia, with HEPA cleaners and conducted continuous monitoring of indoor and outdoor fine particulate matter (PM2.5) for 2-4 weeks during prescribed burning periods. We calculated the potential improvements to indoor air quality when operating a HEPA cleaner during a smoke episode. Ventilation measures were conducted to identify points of smoke ingress and housing characteristics that could lead to higher infiltration rates.

Results: Depending on the house, the use of HEPA cleaners resulted in a reduction in indoor PM2.5 concentrations of 30-74%.

Conclusions: HEPA cleaners have the potential to substantially improve indoor air quality during episodic smoke episodes.

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评估便携式空气净化器在住宅环境中减少规定焚烧产生的生物质烟雾暴露的有效性。

目的：规定焚烧是减少易燃地貌燃料负荷最常用的方法。这种做法旨在减少不受控制的丛林火灾带来的危害。规定焚烧经常在居民区附近进行，相关的烟雾会对社区健康产生不利影响。微粒物质是烟雾中最主要的污染物，与不利的健康影响密切相关。室外烟雾很容易渗入建筑物，降低室内空气质量。装有高效微粒空气过滤器（HEPA）的便携式空气净化器是一种很有前景的室内空气质量干预措施，可减少室外烟雾暴露：方法：我们为澳大利亚维多利亚州半农村地区的 10 个家庭提供了高效空气过滤器，并在规定的燃烧期间对室内外细颗粒物（PM2.5）进行了 2-4 周的连续监测。我们计算了在烟雾发生期间使用高效空气过滤器对室内空气质量的潜在改善效果。我们还采取了通风措施，以确定烟雾侵入点以及可能导致较高渗透率的房屋特征：结果：根据不同的房屋，使用高效空气过滤器后，室内 PM2.5 浓度降低了 30-74%：结论：高效空气过滤器有可能大大改善偶发性烟雾事件中的室内空气质量。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Public Health Research & Practice PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH-

CiteScore

6.70

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

20 weeks

期刊介绍： Public Health Research & Practice is an open-access, quarterly, online journal with a strong focus on the connection between research, policy and practice. It publishes innovative, high-quality papers that inform public health policy and practice, paying particular attention to innovations, data and perspectives from policy and practice. The journal is published by the Sax Institute, a national leader in promoting the use of research evidence in health policy. Formerly known as The NSW Public Health Bulletin, the journal has a long history. It was published by the NSW Ministry of Health for nearly a quarter of a century. Responsibility for its publication transferred to the Sax Institute in 2014, and the journal receives guidance from an expert editorial board.