Personal exposure of women to PM2.5-bound PAH derivatives from cooking emissions in varied rural kitchen setups

The present study investigates the personal exposure of women to PM_2.5 and associated chemical constituents such as Elemental Carbon, Organic Carbon and 63 Poly Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) compounds in varied kitchen setups viz. Indoor kitchen without partition (IKWO); Indoor kitchen with partition (IKWP); Separate enclosed kitchen outside the home (SEKO); Open kitchen (OK); and Open kitchen under stairway (OK_S) of south India. The exposure to PM_2.5 was found to be highest in OK_S followed by IKWP, SEKO, IKWO and OK with average concentrations of 8943.54 ± 699, 6117.80 ± 1732, 4257.85 ± 2215, 2118.07 ± 524 and 1505.89 ± 431 μg/m³, respectively. Similarly, OK_S had the greatest levels of PM_2.5-bounded PAHs (∑PAH63, ∑PAH16, and BaP) due to their small size and poor ventilation. The lifetime Excess Cancer Risk (ECR) indicated the highest lifetime exposure risk per million population (400) in OK_S type of kitchens followed by IKWO (307), SEKO (151), IKWP (149), and then OK (7) using the relative potency factor (RPF) which includes nitro-PAHs as well as methyl-PAHs apart from PAHs with high molecular weight. Additionally, it was shown that the lifetime ECR of biomass fuel was six times greater than that of LPG. The current analysis recommends a complete transition to LPG and strictly avoiding open kitchens under the staircase. Thus, the findings of this study will provide valuable information to improve the quality of the indoor environment of rural houses in India.