Assessment of indoor exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons for urban poor using various types of cooking fuels

Indoor exposure to PAHs was determined in 60 low-income households using various cooking fuels in Ahmedabad, India. The mean total suspended particulate levels in homes using cattle dung, wood, or a mixture of the two were higher than those in homes using coal, kerosene, or LPG. Indoor PAH levels were higher in areas where cattle dung was burned alone or with wood relative to the use of wood alone. In comparing the levels of individual PAHs in homes using LPG as a yardstick, PAH levels in residences using biofuels were higher by a factor of five to 45, by a factor of two to ten in houses using coal and by a factor of one to seven in houses using kerosene.