ABSTRACT
Biomass combustion can release a considerable amount of various airborne pollutants, including particulates and carbon monoxide. Indoor air quality was measured in 23 houses with wood-burning stoves in Costa Rica between August and December 2001, during the rainy season known as winter. However, during the study period, the weather was warm and rainfall was significantly less than usual. Three types of wood-burning stoves are typical cooking facilities with unprocessed biomass fuel in Costa Rica. In open-fire-type stoves, the metallic convex dish or grid is lying over three or four stones under which the firewood is placed. Two houses had wood stoves outside the house. All but one house had a wood stove inside the house with a chimney. As the participants were not randomly selected in this study, the outcomes did not represent actual conditions of indoor air pollution in Costa Rica. The particulate levels were lower than reported in other studies carried out in Central American countries.
