Evaluating portable air cleaner effectiveness in residential settings to reduce exposures to biomass smoke resulting from prescribed burns

Amanda Wheeler; Fabienne Reisen; Christopher Roulston; Martine Dennekamp; Nigel Goodman; Fay Johnston

doi:10.1071/phrp33232307

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Evaluating portable air cleaner effectiveness in residential settings to reduce exposures to biomass smoke resulting from prescribed burns

Amanda Wheeler ^A ^B ^C ^* , Fabienne Reisen ^A , Christopher Roulston ^A , Martine Dennekamp ^D ^E , Nigel Goodman ^F ^G and Fay Johnston ^B

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A CSIRO, Environment, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

^B Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia

^C Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

^D Environment Protection Authority Victoria, Melbourne, Australia

^E School of Population Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

^F School of Property Construction and Project Management, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

^G National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia

^* Correspondence to: Amanda.Wheeler@csiro.au

Public Health Research and Practice 34, e33232307 https://doi.org/10.17061/phrp33232307

Published: 4 April 2024

2024 © Wheeler et al. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence, which allows others to redistribute, adapt and share this work non-commercially provided they attribute the work and any adapted version of it is distributed under the same Creative Commons licence terms.

Abstract

Aim:Prescribed burning is the most common method employed to reduce fuel loads in flammable landscapes. This practice is designed to reduce the hazard associated with uncontrolled bushfires. Prescribed burns are frequently conducted close to residential areas, and the associated smoke impacts can adversely affect community health. Particulate matter is the predominant pollutant within the smoke and is strongly and consistently linked with adverse health effects. Outdoor smoke readily infiltrates buildings and reduces the quality of indoor air. Portable air cleaners containing high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters are a promising indoor air quality intervention for reducing outdoor smoke exposure. Methods: We provided 10 homes from semirural regions of Victoria, Australia, with HEPA cleaners and conducted continuous monitoring of indoor and outdoor fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) for 2–4 weeks during prescribed burning periods. We calculated the potential improvements to indoor air quality when operating a HEPA cleaner during a smoke episode. Ventilation measures were conducted to identify points of smoke ingress and housing characteristics that could lead to higher infiltration rates. Results: Depending on the house, the use of HEPA cleaners resulted in a reduction in indoor PM_2.5concentrations of 30–74%. Conclusions: HEPA cleaners have the potential to substantially improve indoor air quality during episodic smoke episodes.

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