Impact of Patsari improved cookstoves on indoor air quality in Michoacán, Mexico

Little quantitative monitoring and evaluation of the impacts of improved stoves have been performed in Mexico. Grupo Interdisciplinario de Tecnología Rural Apropiada (GIRA) has recently disseminated 4,000 improved Patsari cookstoves, most of them in the Purépecha region of Michoacán state, Mexico. In paired comparisons in a subset of kitchens in a single community before and after installation of an improved Patsari cookstove, 48-hour average kitchen concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) were reduced by 66% (n = 32) and 67% (n = 33), respectively. Kitchens that had more elevated concentrations during the baseline measurements demonstrated more dramatic reductions, as the overall variability was reduced when the improved stove was used. Thus, the Patsari stove provides an effective means of reducing kitchen air pollution and potential benefits of installing these stoves are considerable. Although requiring significant additional resources, the Household Energy and Health (HEH) Project catalyzed a much broader investigation into health, climate, environment and societal impacts of Patsari stoves, which has had a greater impact on public policy than the direct impact of the number of improved stoves installed in these communities.