A Pilot Study of Indoor Air Quality Assessment of Selected Homes in Gales Point, Belize

A pilot indoor air quality (IAQ) study was conducted in January 2014 at Gales Point, Belize, a rural village of 300 people located by the Caribbean Sea on a half mile stretch of land within a peninsula and home to the endangered West Indian Manatee. A number of published studies conducted in many developing countries have documented that exposure to indoor air pollution from cooking with solid fuels is responsible for a significant portion of the global burden of morbidity and mortality. Poor IAQ in affected populations has been highly correlated with asthma and other illnesses or complications with significant impacts on the respiratory system. Women and children are disproportionately affected by this global environmental health burden. The purpose of this study was to enhance undergraduate students’ research skills through the integration of international academic and co-curricular service-learning experiences. Airborne concentrations of five IAQ parameters (Temperature, Relative Humidity, Carbon dioxide, and Carbon monoxide) were measured over a period of three days at twenty selected homes. At each home, samples were collected from three indoor locations (family room, bedroom, and kitchen) and outdoors using data-logged instruments. The data were downloaded and analyzed statistically. Results showed high levels of measured IAQ parameters particularly during cooking with firewood (peak levels: Temperature=108^oF, Humidity=90%, CO₂=1370 ppm and CO=380 ppm). The results demonstrate the usefulness and challenges of collecting multiple IAQ parameters in developing countries during exposure assessment. Recommendations are made for effective implementation of strategies to control exposures and improve environmental health at Gales Point.