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Perception, Cultural, and Technical Assessment of Heating Alternatives to Improve Indoor Air Quality on the Navajo Nation
Citation:
Champion, W., P. Charley, B. Klein, A. Denny, J. McKenzie, K. Stewart, P. Solomon, AND L. Montoya. Perception, Cultural, and Technical Assessment of Heating Alternatives to Improve Indoor Air Quality on the Navajo Nation. AAAR 34th Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN, October 13 - 16, 2015.
Impact/Purpose:
The National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences Division (HEASD) conducts research in support of EPA mission to protect human health and the environment. HEASD research program supports Goal 1 (Clean Air) and Goal 4 (Healthy People) of EPA strategic plan. More specifically, our division conducts research to characterize the movement of pollutants from the source to contact with humans. Our multidisciplinary research program produces Methods, Measurements, and Models to identify relationships between and characterize processes that link source emissions, environmental concentrations, human exposures, and target-tissue dose. The impact of these tools is improved regulatory programs and policies for EPA.
Description:
It is estimated that 62 percent of households in the Navajo Nation use wood as their primary heating source, while 25 percent use gaseous fuels, 11 percent use electricity, and the remaining 2 percent use coal, kerosene, other fossil fuels, or solar energy. A 2010 study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Diné College found that in Shiprock, NM, the largest city in the NN, heating is often done with wood stoves that are old, in poor condition, improperly vented, or inappropriate for the fuel used. The USGS study suggested that the burden of respiratory disease in Shiprock may be reduced by changing indoor home heating behavior and by improving stove quality. This paper presents the results of a three-pronged study that included perception, cultural, and technical assessments to evaluate seven heating options for the Navajo. The ultimate goal of this study is to identify the most feasible options to reduce public health and environmental impacts related to wood and coal use in the Navajo Nation. Results indicate that natural gas furnaces and wood stove replacement provide the greatest benefits per cost. Gaseous fuels are not widely accepted in the community, while wood combustion is ancestral to the Navajo. The other five heating options included in this study are propane gas and electrical furnaces, wood pellet stove, wood stove improvement, and passive solar heating. Cultural experts at the Diné College identified potential limitations to adoption of each alternative. Results of these assessments are presented along with recommendations and proposed educational initiatives for addressing the heating needs of the Navajo Nation. The methods and results of this study may be useful for decision makers in other communities heavily reliant on solid fuels for heat, particularly in rural communities and other Native American nations.
