In-home air pollution is an environmental and health concern for families in many developing countries, where the use of wood or charcoal-fueled cookstoves is common.
A team of
Michigan Tech student researchers are far from the only scientists working on ways to reduce pollution and health impact on the women and small children who are at the most risk, but they may have come up with a different approach--accessible to more people than newly-designed cookstoves.
The Tech students looked at ways to improve the cooking environment through better ventilation for the billions of families who cannot improve their stoves, led by environmental engineering grad student Kelli Whelan, who became aware of the problem during an Engineers Without Borders project in Guatemala.
Tests were done to get an idea of particulate emissions, carbon monoxide and carbon from the stoves, using computer modeling and a cookstove the students built. They looked at wind speed, temperature, humidity, roofing materials, wall height, cookstove placement and doors and windows to figure out what variables had the most impact on air pollution.
The answer turned out to be simpler than you might think: Controlled ventilation made the biggest difference, such as having two windows open across the room from each other--although opening all doors and windows did not help as much because of cross-currents.
They will present their findings at the EPA's annual Sustainable Design Expo in Washington, D.C. this month.
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Michigan Technological University
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