Indoor air pollution-A neglected poverty related cause of global ill health -impl. for health and society of promot. clean fuels in China-II

Smoke from solid fuels (biomass and coal) burned in households is among the leading health threats for people in developing countries, and is responsible for more than 1.6 million premature deaths annually - a quarter of which occur in China. Moreover, so lid fuel use for cooking and space heating leads to very large emissions of carbonaceous aerosols (black carbon (BC) and organic carbon (OC)) that exert a radiative forcing on climate. While field measurements are scarce, knowledge about the ratio between absorbing (heating) particles like BC and scattering (cooling) particles like OC in the emission from different stove/fuel combinations is crucial for assessing their contribution to radiative forcing of climate. We suggest to add three elements to the ongoing study: 1. Include villages dependent on coal in the study. 2. Extend the number of measurements of PM2.5 levels in indoor and neighborhood environments using data logging UCB PM monitors and filter measurements. 3. Measure emissions of pollutant s relevant for health impacts and for global and regional climate change from a selection of traditional and modified/modern stove/fuel types. Particular emphasis will be put on measuring BC/OC ratios in emissions. By addressing the slow rate of change to cleaner household fuels in China and its impacts on human health and society and its contribution to radiative forcing of climate, the results from the proposed project will provide valuable input to government bodies dealing with the inter-linkages be tween energy supply, economic development, public health concerns, and climate change. The study builds on several years of established cooperation between partners in China and Norway.