ABSTRACT
Objective. Indoor air pollution measured in terms of particulate matter <2.5μm in diameter (PM2.5), is an important cause of respiratory illness in children. Therefore, PM2.5 levels in rural households and its correlation with respiratory illness-related symptoms in children were studied. Methods. A questionnaire-based survey of children for respiratory illness-related symptoms was conducted in 37 households of a village (Khanpurjupti, Delhi-NCR, India) from September 2011 to October 2011. Assessment of 24-hour PM2.5 level was done using University of California-Berkeley Particle and Temperature Sensor (UCB-PATS). Results. Thirty-seven households in a rural area were studied. These were divided into 20 respiratory households, i.e. those with children with respiratory illness-related symptoms and 17 control households. The 24-hour PM2.5 was measured in all the houses. The average minimum and maximum PM2.5 levels were 7.24mg/m3 and 22.70mg/m3, respectively (mean=10.47mg/m3) among the 20 respiratory households. The average minimum and maximum PM2.5 levels were 1.10mg/m3 and 18.17mg/m3, respectively (mean=4.99mg/m3) in the 17 control households. The PM2.5 levels were significantly greater (p<0.05) in houses where children had respiratory symptoms compared to the control households. Further, biomass fuel use and number of family members were significantly associated with respiratory illness in children. Conclusion. Increased PM2.5 levels, biomass fuel use and number of family members were found to be associated with increased occurrence of respiratory illness in children.