Endotoxin from Biomass Burning: An Underestimated Health Hazard?

Endotoxin from Biomass Burning: An Underestimated Health Hazard?

Approximately 3 billion people worldwide burn biomass—wood, charcoal, dried animal dung, and crop residue—to heat their homes and cook their food. Biomass often is burned in small, poorly ventilated areas; the resulting smoke exposure frequently causes respiratory infections, primarily among women and children younger than 5 years, who spend the most time around the home fires. Recent findings ...

Airborne Endotoxin Concentrations in Homes Burning Biomass Fuel

BACKGROUND About half of the world's population is exposed to smoke from burning biomass fuels at home. The high airborne particulate levels in these homes and the health burden of exposure to this smoke are well described. Burning unprocessed biological material such as wood and dried animal dung may also produce high indoor endotoxin concentrations. OBJECTIVE In this study we measured airbo...

Smoking after heart transplantation: an underestimated hazard?

OBJECTIVE Risk factors for the development of vasculopathy and malignancies as the most important causes of morbidity and mortality after heart transplantation are not well defined. METHODS Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis of the data derived from our 84 survivors of more than 3 months after orthotopic heart transplantation between 1984 and 1996. Measurement of carbonmonoxi...

Carbon Emissions from Biomass Burning

Ice nuclei emissions from biomass burning

[1] Biomass burning is a significant source of carbonaceous aerosol in many regions of the world. When present, biomass burning particles may affect the microphysical properties of clouds through their ability to function as cloud condensation nuclei or ice nuclei. We report on measurements of the ice nucleation ability of biomass burning particles performed on laboratory-generated aerosols at ...