Epidemiology of Indoor Air Pollution and Human Health

描述（由申请人提供）：世界上大约一半的人口使用生物质燃料作为家庭能源，导致广泛暴露于室内空气污染（IAP）。IAP的指标与急性呼吸道感染、阻塞性气道疾病、不良妊娠结局和癌症相关。每年有超过200万人死于IAP。尽管如此，很少有研究直接研究生物质烟雾中的污染物与人类健康之间的关系。此外，还没有干预研究来评估预防措施在减少IAP和呼吸道疾病方面的有效性。我们建议通过在厄瓜多尔圣安娜进行详细的流行病学研究来解决这些缺陷。初步研究表明，社区呼吸道感染的发病率很高，大约50%的家庭使用生物质燃料。拟议的调查将检查改进的生物质炉灶和通风在理想（实验室）环境中以及在圣安娜的农村房屋中降低IAP的有效性。我们还将评估社区60个家庭中呼吸道疾病与IAP水平的相关性。最后，我们将采用随机对照研究设计，检验预防措施对降低急性下呼吸道感染发病率的有效性。通过这些调查，我们希望能够深入了解世界各地普遍存在的环境危害。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Approximately half the world's population uses biomass fuels for domestic energy, resulting in widespread exposure to indoor air pollution (lAP). Indicators of lAP have been associated with acute respiratory infections, obstructive airway disease, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and cancer. More than 2 million deaths are attributed to lAP each year. Still, few studies have directly examined the association between pollutants in biomass smoke and human health. Furthermore, there have been no intervention studies to assess the effectiveness of preventive measures in decreasing lAP and respiratory disease. We propose to address these deficiencies through detailed epidemiological studies in Santa Ana, Ecuador. Preliminary studies have shown a high prevalence of respiratory infection in the community, with approximately 50% of homes using biomass fuel. Proposed investigations will examine the effectiveness of improved biomass stoves and ventilation to decrease lAP in an ideal (laboratory) setting as well as in rural houses in Santa Ana. We will also assess the association of respiratory disease and lAP levels among 60 households in the community. Lastly, we will test the effectiveness of preventive measures to decrease the incidence of acute lower respiratory infections, using a randomized, controlled, study design. Through these investigations we hope to provide insight into an environmental hazard that is widespread throughout the world.