Measuring personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) among rural Honduran women: A field evaluation of the Ultrasonic Personal Aerosol Sampler (UPAS)

Ajay Pillarisetti; Ellison Carter; Sarah Rajkumar; Bonnie N. Young; Megan L. Benka-Coker; Jennifer L. Peel; Michael Johnson; Maggie L. Clark

Environment International (Feb 2019)

Measuring personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) among rural Honduran women: A field evaluation of the Ultrasonic Personal Aerosol Sampler (UPAS)

Ajay Pillarisetti,
Ellison Carter,
Sarah Rajkumar,
Bonnie N. Young,
Megan L. Benka-Coker,
Jennifer L. Peel,
Michael Johnson,
Maggie L. Clark

Affiliations

Ajay Pillarisetti: Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Corresponding author at: 540 Alcatraz Ave Apt 305, Oakland, CA 94609, USA.
Ellison Carter: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Sarah Rajkumar: Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1681, USA
Bonnie N. Young: Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1681, USA
Megan L. Benka-Coker: Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1681, USA; Department of Health Sciences, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA 17325, USA
Jennifer L. Peel: Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1681, USA
Michael Johnson: Berkeley Air Monitoring Group, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA
Maggie L. Clark: Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1681, USA

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 123
pp. 50 – 53

Abstract

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We measured 24-hour average personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) among rural Honduran women using a lightweight, gravimetric monitor – the Ultrasonic Personal Aerosol Sampler (UPAS). Performance of the UPAS was compared with a commonly used gravimetric pump, cyclone, and filter sampling system. We observed strong agreement and correlation (Spearman ρ = 0.91; PM2.5 concentration range: 19–120 μg/m3) between 43 paired measures, supporting the use of the UPAS as a personal exposure monitor for household air pollution studies. Keywords: Household air pollution, Honduras, Personal exposure, Ultrasonic Personal Aerosol Sampler (UPAS), Gravimetric analysis

Published in Environment International

ISSN: 0160-4120 (Print)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Geography. Anthropology. Recreation: Environmental sciences
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/environment-international

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