- A demonstrated history of working in the area of biomass energy, indoor air pollution, exposure and health risk assessment. Skilled in tools and techniques of indoor air quality monitoring and assessment, personal exposure, environmental awareness, and sustainable development. Strong research professional with a PhD focused on Energy and Environment from TERI School of Advanced Studies.edit
This study investigates the impact of increased levels of indoor air pollution (IAP) caused due to biomass burning in the rural households of Northern India. A comparative assessment of the impact of traditional cookstoves (TCS) and... more
This study investigates the impact of increased levels of indoor air pollution (IAP) caused due to biomass burning in the rural households of Northern India. A comparative assessment of the impact of traditional cookstoves (TCS) and improved cookstoves (ICS) coupled with the characteristics of kitchen was conducted to estimate the PM (PM 10 , PM 2.5 , PM 1), CO/CO 2 concentrations in the micro-environments of kitchen and living area of the households. The study incorporated both extensive and intensive real-time indoor air quality (IAQ) monitoring during the two cooking sessions of the day. The pollutant concentrations were reported in terms of 24-h as well as 8-h (cooking hours including morning and evening meal) averages. Influence of the three types of kitchen characteristics, i.e., enclosed, semi-enclosed and open was also comprehensively analyzed to measure its impact on the IAQ. In addition to this, the IAQ was further used to evaluate the particle size distribution (PSD), respiratory tract deposition and exposure index to assess its impact on health status of the exposed group including women involved in cooking practices. The results of the study highlighted that deployment of ICS would help in improving the IAQ of the kitchen area by resulting in reducing the concentrations of PM 10, PM 2.5, PM 1 and CO by 21-62%, 20-80%, 24-87% and 19-93%, respectively. It was also highlighted that the kitchen characteristics significantly influence the accumulation of air pollutants, demonstrated by the results that the IAQ being worst in the case of enclosed kitchen, resulted in the highest exposure index values. Multivariate regression models to predict PM 1 concentration were also developed for three kitchen categories for both TCS and ICS. Thus, the current study concludes that usage of ICS coupled with efficient designing of the kitchen can improve the overall IAQ of the household along with immense health benefits. Overall, the study emphasized the need of more comprehensive studies to fully assess the association of household air pollution (HAP) and health of individual in the rural settings by considering the toxicity of PM.
Research Interests:
In the study, first-time personal exposure level of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was measured during cooking hours in participants of three different types of kitchen both in the particulate and gaseous phase using traditional... more
In the study, first-time personal exposure level of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was measured during cooking hours in participants of three different types of kitchen both in the particulate and gaseous phase using traditional and improved cookstoves. Along with that, indoor particulate matter (PM) concentration was also estimated during the cooking hours to examine the impact of intervention in different kitchens. The results of the study clearly revealed that the kitchen characteristics and type of cookstove technology have a significant impact on PM 2.5 , PM 1 and PAHs concentration. Cookstoves intervention has resulted in maximum reduction of PM 1 i.e. 75% in an enclosed kitchen followed by semi-enclosed and open kitchen having 71% and 52%, respectively. In addition, correlation analysis of PM 2.5 and PM 1 with PAHs showed a strong association (r 2 = 0.9), showing the affinity of PAHs to bind to fine range of particles. Health risk assessment was also carried out to assess the PM daily dose and carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk due to inhalation of PAHs. The study confirmed the personal concentration of PAHs compounds was significantly high (p < 0.05) during use of traditional cook-stove compared to improved cookstove among all the three kitchens. Furthermore, to measure the toxicity levels, PAHs concentrations have been converted to benzo[a]pyrene equivalence for calculating cancer and non-cancer effects using toxicity equivalency factors. The overall lifetime carcinogenic risk was the highest 2.5E-03, 6.4E-04 among women who prepared meals in the enclosed kitchen compared to 8.4E-04, 1.3E-04 in semi-enclosed and 2.2E-04, 4.6E-05 in the open kitchen during use of traditional and improved cookstoves, respectively, which exceeded the US EPA standard i.e. 1 × 10 −6. The study underlined the importance of personal monitoring for exposure, and risks-based studies along with the time-activity of user to measure the actual inhalation risk for the participants. These findings indicated that women are exposed to hazardous smoke in the indoor kitchen and are at greater risk of developing cancer, especially in rural areas.
Research Interests:
The present study estimated the concentration of black carbon (BC10 and BC2.5) during cooking hours in three types of kitchen in ten households and two improved cookstoves (ICS) tested against traditional mud cookstoves (TCS) in the real... more
The present study estimated the concentration of black carbon (BC10 and BC2.5) during cooking hours in three types of kitchen in ten households and two improved cookstoves (ICS) tested against traditional mud cookstoves (TCS) in the real field conditions. The study also used a community-engaged approach to involve the local public regarding the benefits of intervention. The results clearly revealed that personal BC concentration was highest in an enclosed kitchen (83 mg/m3) while using TCS compared to a semienclosed (25 mg/m3) and open kitchens (16 mg/m3), respectively. The results showed that deployment of ICS would help in reduction in personal BC concentration in all the households ranged from 36 to 84% and 33e89% in BC10 and BC2.5, respectively. The study measured the personal dose of BC concentration for women of all the selected households. The reduction in the exposure dose for personal BC10 and BC2.5 was 69% and 59%, respectively. The results showed that BC concentration during cooking greatly varies with time-activity pattern of users and which in turn affects the exposure levels of the participants. Thus, it is imperative to measure the exact time users spend near to the emission source to get actual exposure inhalation concentration. The results of the study also shared with the local communities to build their capacity for better understanding about the benefits of advanced cooking technologies, household design to improve the ventilation conditions in the kitchen areas and health benefits in terms of reduction in exposure levels especially for vulnerable group like women and children.