Adoption and impact of improved cookstoves in Lambayeque, Peru, 2017.

INTRODUCTION: Approximately three billion people in Asia, Africa, and the Americas cook with biomass, cleaner cooking technologies with the potential to reduce household air pollution exposure. It is necessary to assess the adoption and long-term use of these stoves, measure perceived benefits among users, and use this information to provide feedback to programs that are implementing new cooking technologies. The aim of this study is to determine the level of adoption and impact of improved biomass cookstoves in the rural area of Lambayeque, Peru, in 2017. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 52 homes were surveyed in the districts of Pacora and Íllimo where improved biomass stoves were introduced between 2005 and 2013. A questionnaire for the assessment of adoption and impact indexes proposed by the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves was applied. The STROBE checklist was used. RESULTS: The mean number of years with the improved biomass cookstove was 9.1 (standard deviation: 2.9); 51.9% always used the improved stove, and 34.6% never used it due to destruction during the El Niño phenomenon in 2017. The median impact index was 5.62; 19.2% had a very good/good adoption. The median adoption index was 6.5; 25% had a very high/high impact. The use of the traditional or open fire biomass stove persisted in 61.5% of the houses. CONCLUSION: The adoption and impact of improved biomass cookstoves were acceptable, but traditional stove use persisted in more than half of the houses. Households used a mix of different stove technologies. Gas stoves were used more frequently for breakfast or dinner, while the traditional biomass stoves were used for larger lunchtime meals.

Monitoring and modeling of household air quality related to use of different Cookfuels in Paraguay.

In Paraguay, 49% of the population depends on biomass (wood and charcoal) for cooking. Residential biomass burning is a major source of fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ) and carbon monoxide (CO) in and around the household environment. In July 2016, cross-sectional household air pollution sampling was conducted in 80 households in rural Paraguay. Time-integrated samples (24 hours) of PM2.5 and continuous CO concentrations were measured in kitchens that used wood, charcoal, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), or electricity to cook. Qualitative and quantitative household-level variables were captured using questionnaires. The average PM2.5 concentration (µg/m3 ) was higher in kitchens that burned wood (741.7 ± 546.4) and charcoal (107.0 ± 68.6) than in kitchens where LPG (52.3 ± 18.9) or electricity (52.0 ± 14.8) was used. Likewise, the average CO concentration (ppm) was higher in kitchens that used wood (19.4 ± 12.6) and charcoal (7.6 ± 6.5) than in those that used LPG (0.5 ± 0.6) or electricity (0.4 ± 0.6). Multivariable linear regression was conducted to generate predictive models for indoor PM2.5 and CO concentrations (predicted R2  = 0.837 and 0.822, respectively). This study provides baseline indoor air quality data for Paraguay and presents a multivariate statistical approach that could be used in future research and intervention programs.

Afecciones respiratorias por el uso de leña y carbón en comunidades de Paraguay

Introducción: El uso de combustibles sólidos está asociado con más de 4 millones de muertes prematuras anuales en el mundo, especialmente de mujeres y niños. El uso del carbón y la leña son todavía muy prevalentes en Paraguay donde el 21% de la población urbana y 71% de la población rural utilizan estos combustibles para cocinar. Objetivo: Describir el uso de energía en los hogares de dos comunidades en Paraguay, una semi urbana y una rural. Metodología: Se trata de un estudio de tipo descriptivo y de corte transverso que se realizó por medio de una encuesta en 250 casas seleccionadas aleatoriamente. Resultados: El análisis de los datos obtenidos muestra que más del 74% de los hogares usan carbón vegetal, ya sea como combustible principal o secundario, el gas licuado del petróleo (GLP) es más usado en la comunidad semiurbana (59% > 43%) y la leña es más usada en la comunidad rural (49.6% >22.8%). El uso de leña implica un mayor tiempo destinado a la recolección, acondicionamiento y cocinado de alimentos. El uso de leña y carbón se hace predominantemente al aire libre (84% de los hogares) en cocinas sin chimenea. Se encontró una mayor prevalencia de enfermedades respiratorias en los hogares que utilizan carbón o leña (45%> 29%). El uso de electricidad para cocinar no es muy prevalente (únicamente el 7% lo usa como combustible principal). Conclusión: El uso de carbón y leña en los hogares del Paraguay es alto lo que tiene repercusiones en la salud y favorece las condiciones de inequidad social en el país. Se considera que una buena alternativa al uso de biomasa en Paraguay sería la electricidad, debido a que cuenta con grandes recursos hidroeléctricos y la red eléctrica cubre a casi la totalidad de la población (99%).

Introduction: The use of solid fuels is associatedwith more than 4 million premature deaths annually in the world, especially in women and children. The use of charcoal and firewood is still very prevalent in Paraguay, where 21% of the urban population and 71% of the rural population use these fuels for cooking. Objective: To describe the use of energy in the homes of two communities in Paraguay, a semi-urban and a rural one. Material and Methods: This was a descriptive and cross-sectional study that was carried out by means of a survey in 250 randomly selected households. Results: The analysis of the data obtained showed that more than 74% of households used charcoal, either as a primary or a secondary fuel. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) was more commonly used in the semi-urban community (59%> 43%) and firewood was more used in the rural community (49.6%> 22.8%). The use of firewood implies a longer time for the collection, preparation and cooking of food. The use of firewood and charcoal was predominantly outdoors ( 84 % of households) in kitchens without a fireplace. A higher prevalence of respiratory diseases was found in households that used charcoal or firewood (45%> 29%). The use of electricity for cooking was not very prevalent (only 7% used it as the main fuel). Conclusion: The prevalence of the use of charcoal and wood in homes was high and has repercussions on collective health and favors the conditions of social inequality in the country. We suggest that promotion of electricity for cooking would be a viable clean alternative, because the country has large hydroelectric resources and the electric network covers almostthe entire population(99%).