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Welcome to the Berkeley Interdisciplinary Research on Climate, Health, and Energy (BIRCHE3) Lab.
Our research focuses on the impacts of energy use - typically at the household level - on air pollution, climate, and health. While progress on providing clean household energy arguably follows development trajectories, there is need to accelerate this transition through innovative policy and dissemination approaches. Our research group builds the evidence base for these transitions based on health, environmental, and economic benefits using the multidisciplinary field of Environmental Health Sciences as the foundation of our work. We use and develop lower-cost sensors to objectively answer questions where evidence is lacking and explore novel techniques to link vulnerable populations with effective interventions.

Recent Publications (see more)

FEATURED Using high-frequency household surveys to describe energy use in rural North India during the COVID-19 pandemic Jan 23, 2023

Household energy surveys typically occur a few times at most during a study. We deployed more frequent surveys — every couple of months in Jharkhand, every week for a couple of months in Bihar — to better understand household preferences and what impacts fuel use choices. Repeat phone surveys — whether weekly or monthly — provide important nuance on the dynamics of household energy use.

FEATURED Liquefied Petroleum Gas or Biomass for Cooking and Effects on Birth Weight. Oct 10, 2022

Birthweight findings from the HAPIN LPG stove and fuel trial intention-to-treat analyses found an adjusted mean difference of 19.5 g (95% confidence interval, −10.1 to 49.2). Secondary analyses indicate a stronger effect amongst those who received the intervention earlier in pregnancy. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Effects of a LPG stove and fuel intervention on adverse maternal outcomes: a multi-country randomized controlled trial conducted by the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) Jun 29, 2023

Exposure–response relationships for personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2·5), carbon monoxide, and black carbon and birthweight: an observational analysis of the multicountry Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) trial May 09, 2023

Widespread Clean Cooking Fuel Scale-Up and under-5 Lower Respiratory Infection Mortality: An Ecological Analysis in Ecuador, 1990–2019 Mar 29, 2023

A global review of the state of the evidence of household air pollution’s contribution to ambient fine particulate matter and their related health impacts Feb 18, 2023

Unexpected Performance Improvements of Nitrogen Dioxide and Ozone Sensors by Including Carbon Monoxide Sensor Signal Feb 06, 2023

Visualizing Field Data Collection Procedures of Exposure and Biomarker Assessments for the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial in India Dec 26, 2022

Repeated assessment of PM2.5 in Guatemalan kitchens cooking with wood: Implications for measurement strategies Dec 15, 2022

Biomass Smoke Exposure and Atopy among Young Children in the Western Highlands of Guatemala: A Prospective Cohort Study Oct 28, 2022

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