Dataset Information

Levels of PM10 and PM2.5 and Respiratory Health Impacts on School-Going Children in Kenya.

ABSTRACT: Background:The respiratory system of children is vulnerable to exposure to particulate matter (PM) with a diameter of less than 2.5 and 10 ?m (PM2.5 and PM10) or even lower. Objective:This study assessed PM10 and PM2.5 levels and respiratory health impacts on children in schools located in an industrialized suburb in Kenya. Method:The PM10 and PM2.5 levels were sampled from five public primary schools in Athi River Township and a control school during the wet and dry seasons. Outdoor and classroom samples were collected concurrently on an 8-hour mean during school hours on two consecutive days in each school and analyzed using gravimetric techniques. Five hundred and seventy-eight (n = 578) pupils aged 9-14 years from these schools were also evaluated for symptoms of respiratory illnesses and lung function using a questionnaire and spirometric method, respectively, during the same periods. Results:Indoor median PM10 levels (?g/m3) ranged from 60.8-269.1 and 52.8-232.3 and PM2.5 values (?g/m3) of 17.7-52.4 and 28.5-75.5 during the dry and wet seasons, respectively. The control classrooms had significantly (p <0.05) lower median PM10 levels (?g/m3) of 5.2 and 4.2, and PM2.5 levels (?g/m3) of 3.5 and 3.0 during the respective seasons. Nearly all the classrooms in Athi River schools had PM2.5 and PM10 median levels that exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended levels. The indoor-to-outdoor ratios varied from 0.35-1.40 and 0.80-2.40 for PM10 and 0.30-0.80 and 0.80-1.40 for PM2.5 during the dry and wet seasons, respectively, suggesting higher levels in the classrooms during the wet season. The relative risk (RR) and odds ratio (OR) presented higher prevalence of respiratory diseases following PM exposure in all the Athi River schools than the control during the dry and wet seasons. At 95% CI, the RR and OR showed strong associations between high PM10 and PM2.5 levels and lung function deficits and vice versa. The association was more prevalent during the wet season. Conclusions:The study calls for effective indoor air management programs in school environments to reduce PM exposure and respiratory health impacts. Participant Consent:Obtained. Ethics Approval:The research permit and approvals were obtained from the University of Nairobi/Kenyatta National Hospital Ethics and Research Committee (KNH-UoN ERC Reference: P599/08/2016) and the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (Reference: NACOSTI/P/18/4268/25724). Competing Interests:The authors declare no competing financial interests.

SUBMITTER: Were FH

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7453813 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Levels of PM<sub>10</sub> and PM<sub>2.5</sub> and Respiratory Health Impacts on School-Going Children in Kenya.

Were Faridah Hussein FH Wafula Godfrey Angoe GA Lukorito Cromwel Busolo CB Kamanu Timothy K K TKK

Journal of health & pollution 20200819 27

<h4>Background</h4>The respiratory system of children is vulnerable to exposure to particulate matter (PM) with a diameter of less than 2.5 and 10 μm (PM<sub>2.5</sub> and PM<sub>10</sub>) or even lower.<h4>Objective</h4>This study assessed PM<sub>10</sub> and PM<sub>2.5</sub> levels and respiratory health impacts on children in schools located in an industrialized suburb in Kenya.<h4>Method</h4>The PM<sub>10</sub> and PM<sub>2.5</sub> levels were sampled from five public primary schools in Athi ...[more]

PMID: 32874768

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Project description:Fine particulate matter is considered to be the most significant ambient air pollutant in terms of potential health impacts. Therefore, it is important that regulators are able to accurately assess the exposure of populations to PM10 and PM2.5 across municipal areas. We report on the practicalities of using a laser light scattering portable particulate monitor (Turnkey Instruments DustMate), in combination with a GPS, to map PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations on city-wide scales in Newcastle upon Tyne/Gateshead (UK), during a series of walking surveys. A heated inlet is necessary to remove moisture droplets from the sampled air prior to analysis by the instrument, though this also results in the loss of volatile particulate components, particularly from the PM2.5 fraction. A co-location calibration study was carried out with a reference urban background Tapered Element Oscillating Micro-Balance/Filter Dynamics Measuring System (TEOM-FDMS) system in Newcastle that is part of the UK's Automatic Urban and Rural Network (AURN) of air quality monitoring stations. For PM10, orthogonal regression of the DustMate against TEOM-FDMS data gave a slope and intercept of 1.02 ± 0.06 and -3.7 ± 1.2, respectively (R2 = 0.73), whereas for PM2.5, the respective values were 0.78 ± 0.06 and -0.63 ± 0.55 (R2 = 0.79). These parameters are comparable to literature calibration studies using this technology. There was good agreement between simultaneous samples taken using two DustMate instruments: for PM10, a slope and intercept of 1.05 ± 0.03 and 0.36 ± 0.5, respectively (R2 = 0.73), were obtained, whereas for the PM2.5, the respective values were 0.79 ± 0.01 and 0.19 ± 0.06 (R2 = 0.86). Correction factors based on the slope and intercepts obtained from the calibration exercise were applied to raw data collected from the DustMate. An annually-normalised correction procedure was then used to account for different background particulate concentrations on different sampling days. These corrected PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations and corresponding GPS coordinates were displayed on a base map using Google Fusion Tables and Google Earth Professional. Almost all areas surveyed in Newcastle/Gateshead were well below the EU Air Quality Standards for PM10 and PM2.5.

Project description:IntroductionDespite the London Underground (LU) handling on average 2.8 million passenger journeys per day, the characteristics and potential health effects of the elevated concentrations of metal-rich PM2.5 found in this subway system are not well understood.MethodsSpatial monitoring campaigns were carried out to characterise the health-relevant chemical and physical properties of PM2.5 across the LU network, including diurnal and day-to-day variability and spatial distribution (above ground, depth below ground and subway line). Population-weighted station PM2.5 rankings were produced to understand the relative importance of concentrations at different stations and on different lines.ResultsThe PM2.5 mass in the LU (mean 88??g?m-3, median 28??g?m-3) was greater than at ambient background locations (mean 19??g?m-3, median 14??g?m-3) and roadside environments in central London (mean 22??g?m-3, median 14??g?m-3). Concentrations varied between lines and locations, with the deepest and shallowest submerged lines being the District (median 4??g?m-3) and Victoria (median 361??g?m-3 but up to 885??g?m-3). Broadly in agreement with other subway systems around the world, sampled LU PM2.5 comprised 47% iron oxide, 7% elemental carbon, 11% organic carbon, and 14% metallic and mineral oxides. Although a relationship between line depth and air quality inside the tube trains was evident, there were clear influences relating to the distance from cleaner outside air and the exchange with cabin air when the doors open. The passenger population-weighted exposure analysis demonstrated a method to identify stations that should be prioritised for remediation to improve air quality.ConclusionPM2.5 concentrations in the LU are many times higher than in other London transport Environments. Failure to include this environment in epidemiological studies of the relationship between PM2.5 and health in London is therefore likely to lead to a large exposure misclassification error. Given the significant contribution of underground PM2.5 to daily exposure, and the differences in composition compared to urban PM2.5, there is a clear need for well-designed studies to better understand the health effects of underground exposure.

Dataset Information

Levels of PM10 and PM2.5 and Respiratory Health Impacts on School-Going Children in Kenya.

Publications

Levels of PM<sub>10</sub> and PM<sub>2.5</sub> and Respiratory Health Impacts on School-Going Children in Kenya.

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