Grantee Research Project Results
2022 Progress Report: Assessing the Transport of Wildfire-Generated Particulate Matter Into Homes and Developing Practical Interventions to Reduce Human Exposure (WildPM)
EPA Grant Number: R840237Title: Assessing the Transport of Wildfire-Generated Particulate Matter Into Homes and Developing Practical Interventions to Reduce Human Exposure (WildPM)
Investigators: Vance, Marina E
Institution: University of Colorado Boulder
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: September 1, 2021 through April 24, 2025
Project Period Covered by this Report: September 1, 2021 through August 31,2022
Project Amount: $549,000
RFA: Interventions and Communication Strategies to Reduce Health Risks of Wildland Fire Smoke Exposures (2021) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Watersheds , Endocrine Disruptors , Environmental Engineering , Early Career Awards , Air Quality and Air Toxics , Wildfires
Objective:
The goal of the project tiled “Assessing the Transport of Wildfire-Generated Particulate Matter into Homes and Developing Practical Interventions to Reduce Human Exposure” (WildPM) is to assess practical and effective approaches to reduce indoor exposure to particulate matter (PM) of outdoor wildland fire origin in single-family housing in the Western US. This project has 3 objectives: Objective 1: Evaluate the effectiveness of sustainable and practical interventions, including strategies in (a) air cleaning, (b) ventilation, and (c) building sealing, in reducing indoor concentrations of PM of outdoor wildfire origin in realistic scenarios in unoccupied single-family residences. Objective 2: Estimate wildfire PM infiltration and evaluate the effect of employing a filtration portable air cleaner (PAC) to remove wildfire PM in occupied single-family homes. Objective 3: Employ the results obtained in Objectives 1 and 2 into a statistical model to infer the effectiveness of all approaches for different home types in the US West region. The main hypothesis is that Indoor PM concentrations are elevated under the influence of wildfires and intervention strategies have variable levels of success depending on the intervention, home size and age, weather, and ambient PM concentrations.
By determining a sensible range of expected indoor PM concentrations resulting from wildland fires and developing practical and effective approaches to reduce these exposures, citizens will have ways to protect themselves in the event of nearby wildfires, which is important because the frequency and intensity of wildfires is expected to continue to increase over the coming years. Size-resolved measurements of wildfire-associate PM indoors, outdoors, and to assess interventions will create fundamental and practical knowledge that will ultimately contribute to reducing people’s exposure to wildfire PM.
Progress Summary:
During the first year of this project, we have completed most of the tasks scheduled for this project period. Objectives 1 and 2 are interconnected and encompass field sampling activities during active wildfire seasons. To date, we have purchased and tested all necessary equipment and prepared deployment kits for upcoming wildfire season measurements.
The participant study portion of this work has been approved by the Internal Review Board (IRB) at CU Boulder on April 20, 2022. Participant recruitment materials have been prepared and distributed to some extent, although recruitment activities will continue in the next year.
Future Activities:
Our group is collaborating with others in manuscripts in preparation with results from the Marshall Fire study. Activities in Objectives 1 and 2 are planned for the upcoming wildfire season and include field deployments including indoor and outdoor measurements of particle size distributions, air exchange rates based on CO2 concentrations, and testing of multiple affordable techniques to reduce indoor PM concentrations. A participant support study includes the deployment of portable air cleaners in occupied homes and similar measurements using low-cost sensors.
Deployment kits for both activities are ready. In summer 2023, while waiting for the next wildfire, team members will maintain contact with the local Forest Service personnel to sample near prescribed burns. An additional interesting dataset may arise from this, comparing size distributions and particle penetration of wildland fires and prescribed burns.
Activities in Objective 3 encompass computational modeling that will be performed after sufficient data has been collected from Objectives 1 and 2.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 2 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
portable air cleaner, wildfire, particle infiltration, penetration factor, indoor air qualityRelevant Websites:
Vance Lab College of Engineering and Applied Science Exit
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.