Existence of carbonaceous nano-particles in the indoor air environment

INDOOR air pollution from the combustion sources used for cooking purposes is a big concern nowadays in the developing countries. The fuel used for cooking purposes is different in various regions depending on the socioeconomic status of the people. The combustion of such fuels in the domestic environment gives rise to the emission of volatile and semi-volatile compounds and oxides of different elements such as carbon, nitrogen and sulfur. Besides these gaseous pollutants, there are also emissions of respirable particulate matter in the indoor air environment from the combustion sources. Among these pollutants poly-aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and particulate matter below the size range of 100 nm posses a high risk to human health. Though we are approaching towards cleaner cooking fuel by choosing LPG still there is existence of these ultrafine particles even below the size range of 10 nm. These ultrafine particles are much more carcinogenic in nature than the fully grown soot particles, due to the presence of activated aromatic rings in them.