Abstract
According to the World Health Organization, air pollution—both ambient and residential-- is the top environmental risk to health. Accordingly, air pollution is a growing topic of study. However, the bulk of the literature is focused on two disparate issues, outdoor air quality in cities and residential air quality related to cookstoves in rural areas. In contrast, very few studies focus on residential air quality in cities of the developing world. Yet, indoor air quality, and especially residential air quality, is likely to be critical for individuals’ outcomes, as people spend 60% of their time indoors. For example, residential air quality could affect sleep duration and quality, which in turn could affect health, wellbeing, and performance. Because outdoor air pollution levels are often higher in poor neighborhoods than in rich neighborhoods and pollutants, such as particulate matter, better permeate older and poorly constructed dwellings, residential air quality may exacerbate health and economic inequalities. Documenting the extent, determinants, and effects of air quality in urban homes in Mexico City will provide an understanding of the scale of the problem. Evidence on the barriers to improving residential air quality and the policy interventions that can overcome them is key to mitigating the impacts of pollution and addressing poverty for millions of households in fast-developing and highly polluted cities of countries like Mexico, India, and China.
This project addresses the following research questions:
1. What is the level of air pollution in a home in a below median income neighborhood in highly polluted city of a middle-income country?
2. What barriers prevent adoption of mitigating technology (air purifiers) among households in a below median income neighborhood in this context and what policies can overcome them?
3. What are the health and wellbeing effects of improved residential air quality for households in a below median income neighborhood in this context?