A comparative study to investigate the impact of novel house design on indoor air quality in rural Tanzania

Abstract Background Poor air quality inside the home is responsible for an estimated 3.2 million deaths each year, including over 237,000 deaths of children under the age of 5. Long-term exposure to poor indoor air quality is known to increase the incidence of noncommunicable diseases including stroke, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer, among others. Methods In this study, we examine whether novel house design has a significant impact on levels of indoor particulate matter (PM 2·5 and PM 10 ) in a rural East African context. This study was conducted in Magoda village, Tanzania, over a 77-day period, sampling indoor air quality data from four novel design houses and three local control houses. A statistical analysis was subsequently performed on the data. Findings: The mean exposure levels of PM 2·5 in the novel houses was 2.8 times lower than in the control group, and exposure levels of PM 10 2.4 times lower. Interpretation: The novel houses’ integrated chimney design; increased permeability; lighting strategy and raised bedrooms are thought to contribute to this improvement in indoor air quality in a rural context, where ambient pollution levels are low. The findings also suggest that an hourly particulate matter guideline might be considered for homes that are mostly unoccupied during the daytime.