Acute pulmonary and innate immunity health effects in mice inhaling cookstove emissions
Citation:
Dye, J., E. Gibbs-Flournoy, C. Miller, L. Copeland, M. Daniels, R. Jaskot, J. Richards, E. Stewart, R. Harrison, M. Higuchi, AND Ian Gilmour. Acute pulmonary and innate immunity health effects in mice inhaling cookstove emissions. Veterinary Comparative Respiratory Society 35th Symposium, Urbana, Illinois, October 01 - 04, 2017.
Impact/Purpose:
This abstract describes the various acute pulmonary and innate immunity health effects occurring in mice acutely after inhaling emissions from Cookstoves. Findings are consistent with reports associating exposure to solid fuel stove emissions with modulation of the innate immune system and increased susceptibility to respiratory tract infections.
Description:
Background: Burning of solid-fuels in rudimentary stoves generates harmful emissions that contribute to poor indoor air quality and have detrimental impacts on human health. Acute health effects include respiratory and eye irritation, cough, acute lower respiratory infection and severe pneumonia in children. Advanced cookstoves are designed to cut emissions and solid fuel consumption, thus reducing adverse human health and environmental impacts. Study premise: We hypothesized that inhalation of solid-fuel emissions from advanced natural-draft (ND) or forced-draft (FD) stoves would reduce adverse pulmonary and innate immunity health effects in mice, compared to a three-stone (3-S) fire. Results: Acutely following exposure to two simulated cooking cycles, only 3-S-fire-exposed mice had increased serum carboxyhemoglobin levels, increased IL-1 levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and developed acute lung injury. Diminished macrophage bead phagocytosis was observed in the ND group. Significantly fewer alveolar macrophages were recovered in BALF of FD-exposed mice, and they had increased BALF TNF levels. Lung glutathione was significantly depleted across all groups, however the FD group had the most severe ongoing oxidative stress. Conclusions: No CS group was without some adverse health effect. Together, the above findings are consistent with reports associating exposure to solid fuel stove emissions with modulation of the innate immune system and increased susceptibility to infection. Lower respiratory infections continue to be a leading cause of death in low-income economies. Clearly, there is a growing need to provide access to cleaner, ideally renewable, end user energy technologies for the nearly 40% of the world’s population living in impoverished conditions who currently use rudimentary cookstoves. (Abstract does not reflect USEPA policy).