PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Study IDs kerosene lamps as big source of black carbon

Using cleaner lighting could yield big climate bang for the buck

Study IDs kerosene lamps as big source of black carbon
2012-11-29
(Press-News.org) Berkeley — The primary source of light for more than a billion people in developing nations is also churning out black carbon at levels previously overlooked in greenhouse gas estimates, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Illinois.

Results from field and lab tests found that 7 to 9 percent of the kerosene in wick lamps — used for light in 250-300 million households without electricity — is converted to black carbon when burned. In comparison, only half of 1 percent of the emissions from burning wood is converted to black carbon.

Factoring in the new study results leads to a twentyfold increase in estimates of black carbon emissions from kerosene-fueled lighting. The previous estimates come from established databases used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and others. One kilogram of black carbon, a byproduct of incomplete combustion and an important greenhouse gas, produces as much warming in a month as 700 kilograms of carbon dioxide does over 100 years, the authors said.

"The orange glow in flames comes from black carbon, so the brighter the glow, the more black carbon is being made," said study principal investigator Tami Bond, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "If it's not burned away, it goes into the atmosphere."

The findings, published online this month in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, are coming out at the same time that the United Nations Climate Change Conference kicks off in Doha, Qatar. While officials from around the world are seeking effective policies and guidelines for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, the study authors note that the simple act of replacing kerosene lamps could pack a wallop toward that effort.

"There are no magic bullets that will solve all of our greenhouse gas problems, but replacing kerosene lamps is low-hanging fruit, and we don't have many examples of that in the climate world," said study co-author Kirk Smith, professor at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health and director of the Global Health and Environment Program. "There are many inexpensive, cleaner alternatives to kerosene lamps that are available now, and few if any barriers to switching to them."

Smith pointed to lanterns with light-emitting diodes that can be powered by solar cells or even advanced cookstoves that generate electricity from the heat produced. Such technology, said Smith, is already available in developing countries.

The researchers used kerosene lamps purchased in Uganda and Peru and conducted field experiments there to measure the emissions. They repeated the tests in the lab using wicks of varying heights and materials, and kerosene purchased in the United States as well as in Uganda.

The study authors noted that converting to cleaner light sources would not only benefit the planet, it would help improve people's health. A recent epidemiological study in Nepal led by Smith and other researchers at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health, for example, found that women who reported use of kerosene lamps in the home had 9.4 times the rate of tuberculosis compared with those who did not use such lamps.

"Getting rid of kerosene lamps may seem like a small, inconsequential step to take, but when considering the collective impact of hundreds of millions of households, it's a simple move that affects the planet," said study lead author Nicholas Lam, a UC Berkeley graduate student in environmental health sciences.



INFORMATION:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, U.S. Agency for International Development and Environmental Protection Agency helped support this research.


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Study IDs kerosene lamps as big source of black carbon

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Significant progress in intelligent radio-over-fiber (I-ROF) systems

2012-11-29
Driven by the strong demand for high-definition video, digital health services, the Internet of Things, and virtual reality, broadband, ubiquitous and convergent information access has become the most important engine to drive the development of the modern information society. With increasing numbers of information-based interactions among humans, machines and objects, especially as new services, new terminals and new needs emerge, the networks are required to provide flexible, energy-efficient, safe and broadband access services anywhere at any time, and therefore wideband ...

The neural toxicity of lanthanides: An update and interpretations

2012-11-29
Lanthanides comprise a unique and dominant resource of China. The increase in contact for populations through lanthanide mining and the wide applications for industry, agriculture, and medicine have raised great public concern regarding the metal toxicity of lanthanides, particularly on the issue of whether lanthanides are toxic to the human nervous system. In the past decade, major progresses have been made toward elucidating the mechanisms of the biological actions of lanthanides. A recently published review by researchers at Peking University [Xia et al., Sci. China ...

An engraved stone artifact found at the Shuidonggou Paleolithic site, northwest China

2012-11-29
The origin and dispersal of modern humans and modern human behavior are key interests in Paleolithic archaeology and anthropology. Engraved objects are usually seen as a hallmark of cognition and symbolism, which are viewed as important features of modern human behavior. In recent years, engraved ochre, bones and ostrich eggs unearthed from various Paleolithic sites in Africa, the Near East and Europe have attracted the attention of many scholars. However, such items are rarely encountered at Paleolithic sites in East Asia. Here, we report a very important discovery of ...

Study shows increase in negative messages about Muslims in the media

2012-11-29
WASHINGTON, DC, November 26, 2012 — Organizations using fear and anger to spread negative messages about Muslims have moved from the fringes of public discourse into the mainstream media since the Sept. 11 attacks, according to new research by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill sociologist. Titled, "The Fringe Effect: Civil Society Organizations and the Evolution of Media Discourse about Islam since the September 11th Attacks," the study appears in the December issue of the American Sociological Review. Christopher Bail, an assistant professor of sociology ...

Behavior problems, not depression, linked to lower grades for depressed youths

2012-11-29
WASHINGTON, DC, November 26, 2012 — Behavior problems, not depression, are linked to lower grades for depressed adolescents, according to a study in the December issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior. "Behavior problems including attention issues, delinquency, and substance use are associated with diminished achievement, but depression is not," said the study's lead author Jane D. McLeod, a sociology professor and an associate dean at Indiana University. "Certainly, there are depressed youths who have trouble in school, but it's likely because they are also ...

Employers often more interested in hiring potential playmates than the very best candidates

2012-11-29
WASHINGTON, DC, November 27, 2012 — Employers are often more focused on hiring someone they would like to hang out with than they are on finding the person who can best do the job, suggests a study in the December issue of the American Sociological Review. "Of course, employers are looking for people who have the baseline of skills to effectively do the job," said study author Lauren A. Rivera, an assistant professor of management and organizations and sociology at Northwestern University. "But, beyond that, employers really want people who they will bond with, who they ...

Findings support safety of whooping cough vaccine for older adults

2012-11-29
[EMBARGOED FOR NOV. 29, 2012] A new study of the safety of the tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine supports the recommendation that those 65 and older get the vaccine to protect themselves and others, particularly young babies, from pertussis. Published online in Clinical Infectious Diseases, the findings come as reported U.S. cases of the bacterial infection, also known as whopping cough, are at the highest level since the 1950s. An extremely contagious respiratory illness, pertussis puts infants at greatest risk for severe complications, including ...

Musical duets lock brains as well as rhythms

Musical duets lock brains as well as rhythms
2012-11-29
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin have shown that synchronization emerges between brains when making music together, and even when musicians play different voices. In a study published November 29th in Frontiers in Neuroscience, Johanna Sänger and her team used electrodes to record the brain waves of guitarists while they played different voices of the same duet. The results point to brain synchronicity that cannot be explained away by similitudes in external stimulation but can be attributed to a more profound interpersonal coordination. Scientists ...

IRS is Targeting Small Businesses for Tax Audits

2012-11-29
IRS is targeting small businesses for tax audits As a small business owner, the last thing you want is to receive a notice from the Internal Revenue Service that says you are being audited. Unfortunately, the IRS has announced that they are going to be taking a closer look at small business tax returns. According to its records, the IRS blames small businesses for 84 percent of the $450 billion tax gap. Eight tax audit areas to be aware of To curb underreporting, the IRS has announced eight important audit areas for small businesses for 2012 and 2013. Those areas ...

Dividing Assets Efficiently and Intelligently in a Massachusetts Divorce

2012-11-29
Dividing Assets Efficiently and Intelligently in a Massachusetts Divorce Having as much information as possible about family finances reduces the likelihood of surprises and roadblocks during property settlement negotiations during a divorce. Additionally, it helps to ensure that the property division is fair. Massachusetts couples can follow some steps to help make the property division process go more smoothly in a divorce. Catalogue Assets and Debts An important first step to gaining a clear financial picture is to inventory assets and debts. For many couples, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Breathable yet protective: Next-gen medical textiles with micro/nano networks

Frequency-engineered MXene supercapacitors enable efficient pulse charging in TENG–SC hybrid systems

Developed an AI-based classification system for facial pigmented lesions

Achieving 20% efficiency in halogen-free organic solar cells via isomeric additive-mediated sequential processing

New book Terraglossia reclaims language, Country and culture

The most effective diabetes drugs don't reach enough patients yet

Breast cancer risk in younger women may be influenced by hormone therapy

Strategies for staying smoke-free after rehab

Commentary questions the potential benefit of levothyroxine treatment of mild hypothyroidism during pregnancy

Study projects over 14 million preventable deaths by 2030 if USAID defunding continues

New study reveals 33% gap in transplant access for UK’s poorest children

Dysregulated epigenetic memory in early embryos offers new clues to the inheritance of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

IVF and IUI pregnancy rates remain stable across Europe, despite an increasing uptake of single embryo transfer

It takes a village: Chimpanzee babies do better when their moms have social connections

From lab to market: how renewable polymers could transform medicine

Striking increase in obesity observed among youth between 2011 and 2023

No evidence that medications trigger microscopic colitis in older adults

NYUAD researchers find link between brain growth and mental health disorders

Aging-related inflammation is not universal across human populations, new study finds

University of Oregon to create national children’s mental health center with $11 million federal grant

Rare achievement: UTA undergrad publishes research

Fact or fiction? The ADHD info dilemma

Genetic ancestry linked to risk of severe dengue

Genomes reveal the Norwegian lemming as one of the youngest mammal species

Early birds get the burn: Monash study finds early bedtimes associated with more physical activity

Groundbreaking analysis provides day-by-day insight into prehistoric plankton’s capacity for change

Southern Ocean saltier, hotter and losing ice fast as decades-long trend unexpectedly reverses

Human fishing reshaped Caribbean reef food webs, 7000-year old exposed fossilized reefs reveal

Killer whales, kind gestures: Orcas offer food to humans in the wild

Hurricane ecology research reveals critical vulnerabilities of coastal ecosystems

[Press-News.org] Study IDs kerosene lamps as big source of black carbon
Using cleaner lighting could yield big climate bang for the buck