The effect of clean cooking interventions on maternal personal exposure to air pollution: Results from the Ghana Randomized Air Pollution and Health Study (GRAPHS)

Background: In order for clean household energy interventions to improve health, the must reduce air pollution exposures.Methods: The Ghana Randomized Air Pollution and Health Study randomized 1,414 households with pregnant women into a control (N= 515) and intervention arms providing either a fan-assisted efficient biomass cookstove (N= 519) or a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stove and a supply of free LPG (N= 355). Women received baseline and six post-intervention 72-hour personal exposure assessments. Exposure was primarily assessed using personal CO monitors, but two sessions included personal PM2. 5 monitors. Data were truncated at 48 hours.Results: We obtained 5,747 48-hour maternal CO exposure estimates and 1,422 48-hour maternal PM2. 5 exposure estimates. At baseline, 1.7% of 24-hour maternal CO exposure estimates exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) CO 24 …