TY - JOUR
T1 - Sources and perceptions of indoor and ambient air pollution in rural Alaska
AU - Ware, Desirae
AU - Lewis, Johnnye
AU - Hopkins, Scarlett
AU - Boyer, Bert
AU - Noonan, Curtis
AU - Ward, Tony
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgments Most importantly, we would like to thank the community members that made this project possible. Funding for this work was provided by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences as part of the ARRA RC1 funding RC1ES018400-02. Additional support was provided by COBRE Grant number P20RR017670.
Funding Information:
As part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), The University of Montana received funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to implement a project titled ‘‘Air Pollution Outreach, Education, and Research Capacity Building in Alaska Native Villages.’’ Through air quality surveys, one of the aims of this project was to identify community-specific air pollution issues (both indoors and outdoors) of interest, while working directly with community members with the long-term goal of designing future partnership studies to address the identified problems through research and intervention. In this manuscript, we present the results of these surveys.
PY - 2013/8
Y1 - 2013/8
N2 - Even though Alaska is the largest state in the United States, much of the population resides in rural and underserved areas with documented disparities in respiratory health. This is especially true in the Yukon-Kuskokwim (southwest) and Ahtna (southcentral) Regions of Alaska. In working with community members, the goal of this study was to identify the air pollution issues (both indoors and outdoors) of concern within these two regions. Over a two-year period, 328 air quality surveys were disseminated within seven communities in rural Alaska. The surveys focused on understanding the demographics, home heating practices, indoor activities, community/outdoor activities, and air quality perceptions within each community. Results from these surveys showed that there is elevated potential for PM10/PM2.5 exposures in rural Alaska communities. Top indoor air quality concerns included mold, lack of ventilation or fresh air, and dust. Top outdoor air pollution concerns identified were open burning/smoke, road dust, and vehicle exhaust (e.g.; snow machines, ATVs, etc.). These data can now be used to seek additional funding for interventions, implementing long-term, sustainable solutions to the identified problems. Further research is needed to assess exposures to PM10/PM 2.5 and the associated impacts on respiratory health, particularly among susceptible populations such as young children.
AB - Even though Alaska is the largest state in the United States, much of the population resides in rural and underserved areas with documented disparities in respiratory health. This is especially true in the Yukon-Kuskokwim (southwest) and Ahtna (southcentral) Regions of Alaska. In working with community members, the goal of this study was to identify the air pollution issues (both indoors and outdoors) of concern within these two regions. Over a two-year period, 328 air quality surveys were disseminated within seven communities in rural Alaska. The surveys focused on understanding the demographics, home heating practices, indoor activities, community/outdoor activities, and air quality perceptions within each community. Results from these surveys showed that there is elevated potential for PM10/PM2.5 exposures in rural Alaska communities. Top indoor air quality concerns included mold, lack of ventilation or fresh air, and dust. Top outdoor air pollution concerns identified were open burning/smoke, road dust, and vehicle exhaust (e.g.; snow machines, ATVs, etc.). These data can now be used to seek additional funding for interventions, implementing long-term, sustainable solutions to the identified problems. Further research is needed to assess exposures to PM10/PM 2.5 and the associated impacts on respiratory health, particularly among susceptible populations such as young children.
KW - Alaska Native communities
KW - Ambient air quality
KW - Indoor air quality
KW - Particulate matter
KW - Respiratory health
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84880036454&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10900-013-9678-9
DO - 10.1007/s10900-013-9678-9
M3 - Article
C2 - 23526077
AN - SCOPUS:84880036454
SN - 0094-5145
VL - 38
SP - 773
EP - 780
JO - Journal of Community Health
JF - Journal of Community Health
IS - 4
ER -