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Killing you softlyIndoor air pollution is
cooking the cause?

• University of California, Irvine
• School of Social Ecology

Rafael Rodriguez-Leal, Undergraduate Research
SymposiumMay 13 2006
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The site Comachuen
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Michoacán
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The Question

• Since most families cook different items with
  fire stoves, we analyzed the contribution of each
  meal, within the 95 percentile of peaks of PM and
  CO.
• We undertook this task by examining what items
  were cooked, and their contribution to pollutant
  concentrations, at the time they were cooked.

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Food Types
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• The population under study consumes a diversity
  of food types.
• The diet of the participants
• Consists of mainly
• beans, eggs, meat,
• and tortillas.

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Instruments
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Definition of Terms

• PM Particulate Matter
• CO Carbon Monoxide
• Fdtype Type of ingredient cooked
• 95 Percentile The 5th of the highest pollutant
  concentrations

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Hypothesis

• H0 There wont be a relationship between food
  items being cooked and pollutant levels
  regardless of fdtype
• H1 There will be a relationship between food
  items being cooked and pollutant levels, and they
  will vary according to fdtype

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Methods

• Our sample consisted of 53 households
• Continuous measurements of CO and PM levels were
  taken over 48 hr. periods
• A database in Excel was created incorporating the
  measurements of both pollutants by minute.
• A database in Access was created to match cooked
  fdtypes to the highest pollutant peaks.

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Methods

• The means of each fdtype were calculated when
  fdtype matched the 95 percentile in the peak
  considered
• The means of each fdtype matching the 95
  percentile for all homes were calculated

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Methods

• CO was measured in ppm
• PM was measured in mg/m3

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Tortillas
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Graph fdtype 6meat, matching 95 percentile PM
peak in home 17
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Graph fdtype 7fish, matching 95 percentile PM
peak in home 17
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Graph fdtype 8milk , matching 95 percentile PM
peak in home 17
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Graph fdtype 10eggs , matching 95 percentile PM
peak in home 17
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Graph fdtype 2tortilla, matching 95 percentile
CO peak in home 24
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Graph fdtype 2tortilla, matching 95 percentile
CO peak meal 2
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Graph fdtype 4beans, matching 95 percentile CO
peak in home 64
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Graph fdtype 6meat, matching 95 percentile CO
peak in home 91
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Graph fdtype 6meat, matching 95 percentile CO
peak meal 2
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Graph fdtype 10eggs, matching 95 percentile CO
peak in home 64
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The Mean of all Homes
Fdtype No Homes All Homes AVG PM No Homes All Homes AVG CO
   
Tortillas 13 3.99 10 46.61
Eggs 3 3.66 1 45.38
Beans 3 5.09 3 54.28
Meat 4 6 4 49.24
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Mean all Homes PM vs fdtype match
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Mean all Homes CO vs fdtype match
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Statistics

• H1Claim For the population of homes using
  fire-stoves, the mean PM levels in 3 fdtype are
  given by µ2. Furthermore, for the population of
  homes using fire stoves, the mean CO levels in 3
  fdtype is given by µ 30.
• H0 PM µlt2 and CO µlt30

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Statistics

• P-value method for testing hypotheses with a
  significance level of a0.1

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Ing PM mean CO mean PM P-test CO P-test Outcome
tortilla 3.99 46.61 .0256lt.05 plta .0030lt.05 plta Significant
beans 5.09 54.28 .004lt.05 plt a .0022lt.05 plt a Significant
meat 6.00 49.24 .0122lt.05 plt a .0071lt.05 plt a Significant
Ing PM s CO s - - -
tortilla 4.95 29.61 - - -
beans 5.71 41.63 - - -
meat 8.76 37.74 - - -
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Graph
Tortillas making
Tortillas making
meal
breakfast
Milk for children
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Conclusions

• The present study considers that there is a
  significant contribution to indoor air pollution
  levels, caused by the cooking of different
  fdtypes
• There is variation in the concentrations of
  pollutants emitted, depending on the fdtype being
  cooked

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Further Research Needed

• To examine the possibility of a diet modification
  in the population studied.
• Search to what extent the fdtypes that are cooked
  most of the time, contribute more or less to
  pollutant concentrations, vs. the fdtypes that
  arent cooked most of the time.

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Acknowledgements

• Ph.D. candidate Michael A. Johnson
• Professor Adviser Ph.D. Rufus Edwards
• Social Ecology Honors Seminar
• Professor Chair Ph.D. Valerie Jenness
• Air Pollution Lab Team Nick Lam, and Erin Milner

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CONTACT INFO

• Rafael Rodriguez-Leal Torres
• Undergraduate
• Environmental Analysis Design
• University of California, at Irvine
• Social Ecology
• rafaelsr_at_uci.edu
• mobile [phone]

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME

• YOU HAVE BEEN A TERRIFIC CROUD
• YOUR PATIENCE IS APPRECIATED
• GOOD LUCK AT THE SYMPOSIUM!!!!
• APL ROCKS!!!!!