Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Cover title. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 138-139).

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf [44-52]).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 191-200).

No description available.

Indoor air quality is a growing concern in the world. People spend a considerable amount of time in indoor environments such as homes, workplaces, shopping malls, stores, and so on. Indoor sources like incense and candle burning, cooking contribute a significant amount of indoor air pollutants such as particulate matter, carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds. Exposure to these kinds of pollutants can result in adverse health effects. The purpose of this research is to determine the particulate matter and carbon monoxide emission factors (EFs) from incense stick burning. A test chamber with a rectangular exhaust duct, a fan to exhaust air with pollutants in it, and pollutant sensors were used to achieve the project goals. Several experiments were performed with different cases/scenarios to accurately estimate the EFs and several test runs were conducted for each case to test the repeatability of the results. The CO, PM2.5 (mass), PM2.5 (number), PM10 (mass), PM10 (number) EFs developed in this research are between 110-120 mg/g of incense, 2.5-3 mg/g of incense, 800-1100 #particles/µg of incense, 32-33 mg/g of incense, 1200-1400 #particles/µg of incense respectively.

published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

Research was initiated to examine the feasibility of removing the majority of 4-PCH from the XSBR latex employed in carpet manufacturing. The reduction of 4-PCH from such latices would lend insight into the control of certain carpet related illnesses.

The research reported in this thesis describes: the prevalence of respiratory symptoms, COPD and cardiovascular problems in rural and urban adults taking account of all major confounding factors; and estimates of exposures, both indoor and outdoor, and assessment of the relationships between measured exposure and health outcomes. A cross-sectional study was conducted in an adult population (16+ years) in Nepal to compare the respiratory and cardiovascular risk of indoor air pollution in a rural population exposed to biomass smoke compared to an urban population using liquefied petroleum gas using an investigator-delivered questionnaire, lung function and blood pressure measurements.  Direct measures of indoor particular exposure (PM_2.5 and CO) and outdoor PM_2.5 were made with other relevant factors obtained by questionnaire. Direct measures of 24-hour indoor PM_2.5were carried out in 245 rural and equal numbers of urban homes. Health outcomes were assessed in 846 rural and 802 urban dwellers.  The main risk factors studied were socio-economic status, smoking, fuel types, stove types, ventilation, BMI, income, ETS and cooking. The result suggests that cooking with biomass is associated with reduced lung function and thus a higher prevalence of COPD in the rural dwellers compared to the non-exposed urban dwellers.  No clear relationship between biomass smoke exposure and cardiovascular endpoints was found although reported cooking with biomass fuel was associated with higher blood pressure and chest pain.  Methodological issues including more invasive assessment of cardiovascular disease will in future studies be important in interpretation of this relationship.

Approximately 3 billion people in developing countries rely on solid fuels for their cooking, heating and lighting needs (Smith 2000). Household air pollution (HAP) from the incomplete combustion of these fuels constitutes the fourth leading risk factor for death and morbidity worldwide, and the number one risk factor for disease burden in some developing nations, including Ghana (Lim et al. 2013; Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation 2016). While research shows biomass fuel combustion presents a significant global health and environmental burden, no regional, national or global policies have been enacted to reduce fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and black carbon (BC) emissions from cooking with biomass fuels. More data on personal exposures to particulate matter and BC from cooking with biomass are needed across geographic areas to assess whether exposure is mediated by (cultural) cooking customs, practices and behaviors. These data are critical in informing improved cookstove design as well as policies aimed at reducing harmful emissions and exposures from biomass smoke. The overall objective of this proposal is to examine personal exposures to cooking and non-cooking sources of HAP, characterize the elemental composition of the fine particulate matter across two common biomass fuels (charcoal and wood), and assess acute respiratory symptoms in pregnant women cooking with biomass fuels in rural Ghana. Through aerosol monitoring of PM2.5, our goal is to identify and apportion sources of personal exposures borne by cooks in rural Ghana, in order to inform mitigation policies and intervention design to alleviate health burden associated with cooking with biomass fuels. Specifically, in Aim 1 we propose to measure personal exposures and kitchen air concentrations of PM2.5 and BC across cooking locations, (i.e. enclosed, semi-enclosed, outdoor) and assess cooking characteristics (e.g. fuel, kitchen type, ethnicity) as possible determinants of exposure. In Aim 2, we will characterize the elemental composition of personal and kitchen air samples across fuel and kitchen types. These two aims will allow us to assess cooking and non-cooking sources of personal HAP exposure based on air monitoring data, composition of the filters, and survey-based cooking characteristics/demographics. In Aim 3, we propose to characterize the prevalence of adult respiratory symptoms in 1183 pregnant women in the region, and assess associations between personal exposure, measured by personal carbon monoxide (CO), and other cooking and non-cooking determinants of personal exposure, including fuel type, years cooked, kerosene lamp, mosquito coils, and charcoal production.