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Tools & Techniques for Better Exposure Assessment

Our group makes measurements to estimate exposure and, in doing so, inform policies, evaluate interventions, and help provide evidence of potential health risk. Where instrumentation is lacking, we develop our own or adapt technologies used in other sectors and disciplines. This includes the development of novel sensor systems catered to settings where solid fuel use is prevalent, including particulate monitors suitable for placement in a kitchen or use as a personal monitor; stove use monitors, data-logging sensors that track household appliance usage, for instance by measuring temperature on a stove; and systems that measure ventilation using CO2 as a tracer gas. We additionally use lower-cost air pollution sensors, similar to the Purple Air monitor, with a focus on rural ambient air quality monitoring in places where outdoor air pollution measurements are scarce.

Projects

AAM-LASSI (active) AERLIFT (active) SHRAM (active) Rapid Surveys (inactive)

Publications

2026

Comparison of black carbon measurements using filter-specific reference transmittance to those using lab blanks or an average of unloaded filters

Campbell, D., Johnson, M., Piedrahita, R., Pillarisetti, A., Waller, L. A., Kearns, K. A., Kremer, J., Mollinedo, E., Sarnat, J. A., Clark, M. L., Underhill, L. J., McCracken, J. P., Diaz-Artiga, A., Thompson, L. M., Rosa, G., Kirby, M., Balakrishnan, K., Sambandam, S., Mukhopadhyay, K., et al. (2026). Comparison of black carbon measurements using filter-specific reference transmittance to those using lab blanks or an average of unloaded filters. Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 76(9), 724–736. https://doi.org/10.1080/10962247.2026.2626414

Impacts of contemporaneous air pollution exposure on cognitive performance in Kenya

Ma, X., Layvant, M., Miguel, E., Ochieng, E., Pillarisetti, A., & Walker, M. (2026). Impacts of contemporaneous air pollution exposure on cognitive performance in Kenya. Journal of Health Economics, 109, 103166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2026.103166

Source apportionment of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) personal exposures: findings from the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) study in rural Guatemala

Mollinedo, E., Kearns, K. A., Russell, A. G., Johnson, M., L’Orange, C., Piedrahita, R., Pillarisetti, A., Sarnat, J. A., McCracken, J. P., Thompson, L. M., Diaz-Artiga, A., Clark, M. L., Steenland, K., Waller, L. A., Clasen, T. F., Peel, J., Checkley, W., Naeher, L. P., et al. (2026). Source apportionment of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) personal exposures: findings from the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) study in rural Guatemala. Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-026-00910-6

Characterizing household air pollutant concentrations associated with an electrification program in the rural San Joaquin Valley

Johnson, M., Kearns, K. A., Rivera, J., Jones, S. M., Tryner, J., Miller, H., Ghosh, A., Aragon, M. F., Daouda, M., Pillarisetti, A., & Tyner, T. (2026). Characterizing household air pollutant concentrations associated with an electrification program in the rural San Joaquin Valley. Environmental Research: Health, 4(2), 25002. https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5309/ae4ac9

2025

Baseline exposure–response assessment of metals from dried blood spots and personal household air pollution concentrations among pregnant women in Rwanda: household air pollution intervention network trial

Ndikubwimana, A., Checkley, W., Chen, Y., Clasen, T., Contreras, C. L., Diaz-Artiga, A., Bankundiye, G., Dusabimana, E., de las Fuentes, L., Jabbarzadeh, S., Johnson, M., Kalisa, E., Karakwende, P., Kirby, M. A., Lovvorn, A. E., McCracken, J. P., Ndagijimana, F., Ntakirutimana, T., de Dieu Ntivuguruzwa, J., et al. (2025). Baseline exposure–response assessment of metals from dried blood spots and personal household air pollution concentrations among pregnant women in Rwanda: household air pollution intervention network trial. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, 45(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41043-025-01178-6

Optimizing Exposure Measures in Large-Scale Household Air Pollution Studies: Results from the Multicountry HAPIN Trial

Steenland, K., Pillarisetti, A., Johnson, M., Rosenthal, J., Balakrishnan, K., Underhill, L., Thompson, L., McCracken, J., Waller, L., Nicolaou, L., Clark, M., Checkley, W., Peel, J., & Clasen, T. (2025). Optimizing Exposure Measures in Large-Scale Household Air Pollution Studies: Results from the Multicountry HAPIN Trial. In Environmental Science & Technology (Vol. 59, Issue 3, pp. 1693–1699). American Chemical Society (ACS). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c08052

2024

Association of household air pollution exposure and anemia among pregnant women: Analysis of baseline data from ’Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN)’ trial

Deng, Y., Steenland, K., Sinharoy, S. S., Peel, J. L., Ye, W., Pillarisetti, A., Eick, S. M., Chang, H. H., Wang, J., Chen, Y., Young, B. N., Clark, M. L., Barr, D. B., & Clasen, T. F. (2024). Association of household air pollution exposure and anemia among pregnant women: Analysis of baseline data from ’Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN)’ trial. In Environment International (p. 108815). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2024.108815

Factors Determining Black Carbon Exposures among Pregnant Women Enrolled in the HAPIN Trial

Campbell, D. A., Johnson, M., Piedrahita, R., Pillarisetti, A., Waller, L. A., Kearns, K. A., Kremer, J., Mollinedo, E., Sarnat, J. A., Clark, M. L., Underhill, L. J., McCracken, J. P., Diaz-Artiga, A., Steenland, K., Rosa, G., Kirby, M. A., Balakrishnan, K., Sambandam, S., Mukhopadhyay, K., … Naeher, L. P. (2024). Factors Determining Black Carbon Exposures among Pregnant Women Enrolled in the HAPIN Trial. In Environmental Science & Technology. American Chemical Society (ACS). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c09991

Household Air Pollution Interventions to Improve Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: An Official American Thoracic Society Research Statement

Lai, P. S., Lam, N. L., Gallery, B., Lee, A. G., Adair-Rohani, H., Alexander, D., Balakrishnan, K., Bisaga, I., Chafe, Z. A., Clasen, T., Díaz-Artiga, A., Grieshop, A., Harrison, K., Hartinger, S. M., Jack, D., Kaali, S., Lydston, M., Mortimer, K. M., Nicolaou, L.,… Pillarisetti, A., … Ozoh, O. B. (2024). Household Air Pollution Interventions to Improve Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: An Official American Thoracic Society Research Statement. In American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (Vol. 209, Issue 8, pp. 909–927). American Thoracic Society. https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.202402-0398st

Liquefied Petroleum Gas or Biomass Cooking and Severe Infant Pneumonia

McCollum, E. D., McCracken, J. P., Kirby, M. A., Grajeda, L. M., Hossen, S., Moulton, L. H., Simkovich, S. M., Goodman-Palmer, D., Rosa, G., Mukeshimana, A., Balakrishnan, K., Thangavel, G., Garg, S. S., Castañaza, A., Thompson, L. M., Diaz-Artiga, A., Papageorghiou, A. T., Davila-Roman, V. G., Underhill, L. J., Pillarisetti, A., … Checkley, W. (2024). Liquefied Petroleum Gas or Biomass Cooking and Severe Infant Pneumonia. In New England Journal of Medicine (Vol. 390, Issue 1, pp. 32–43). Massachusetts Medical Society. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa2305681

Effects of Cooking with Liquefied Petroleum Gas or Biomass on Stunting in Infants

Checkley, W., Thompson, L. M., Sinharoy, S. S., Hossen, S., Moulton, L. H., Chang, H. H., Waller, L., Steenland, K., Rosa, G., Mukeshimana, A., Ndagijimana, F., McCracken, J. P., Díaz-Artiga, A., Balakrishnan, K., Garg, S. S., Thangavel, G., Aravindalochanan, V., Hartinger, S. M., Chiang, M., … Pillarisetti, A., … Clasen, T. F. (2024). Effects of Cooking with Liquefied Petroleum Gas or Biomass on Stunting in Infants. In New England Journal of Medicine (Vol. 390, Issue 1, pp. 44–54). Massachusetts Medical Society. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa2302687

2023

Seasonally optimized calibrations improve low-cost sensor performance: long-term field evaluation of PurpleAir sensors in urban and rural India

Campmier, M. J., Gingrich, J., Singh, S., Baig, N., Gani, S., Upadhya, A., Agrawal, P., Kushwaha, M., Mishra, H. R., Pillarisetti, A., Vakacherla, S., Pathak, R. K., & Apte, J. S. (2023). Seasonally optimized calibrations improve low-cost sensor performance: long-term field evaluation of PurpleAir sensors in urban and rural India. In Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (Vol. 16, Issue 19, pp. 4357–4374). Copernicus GmbH. https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-4357-2023

Unexpected Performance Improvements of Nitrogen Dioxide and Ozone Sensors by Including Carbon Monoxide Sensor Signal

Hasan, M. H., Yu, H., Ivey, C., Pillarisetti, A., Yuan, Z., Do, K., & Li, Y. (2023). Unexpected Performance Improvements of Nitrogen Dioxide and Ozone Sensors by Including Carbon Monoxide Sensor Signal. In ACS Omega. American Chemical Society (ACS). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.2c07734

Using high-frequency household surveys to describe energy use in rural North India during the COVID-19 pandemic

Gould, C. F.*, Pillarisetti, A.*, Thompson, L. M., Saluja, S., Nandan, V., & Urpelainen, J. (2023). Using high-frequency household surveys to describe energy use in rural North India during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Nature Energy. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-022-01187-3 *equal contributors.

2022

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

Rajamani, K. D., Sambandam, S., Mukhopadhyay, K., Puttaswamy, N., Thangavel, G., Natesan, D., Ramasamy, R., Sendhil, S., Natarajan, A., Aravindalochan, V., Pillarisetti, A., Johnson, M., Rosenthal, J., Steenland, K., Piedhrahita, R., Peel, J., Clark, M. L., Boyd Barr, D., Rajkumar, S., … Balakrishnan, K. (2022). Visualizing Field Data Collection Procedures of Exposure and Biomarker Assessments for the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial in India. In Journal of Visualized Experiments (Issue 190). MyJove Corporation. https://doi.org/10.3791/64144

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

Pillarisetti, A., Alnes, L. W. H., Ye, W., McCracken, J. P., Canuz, E., & Smith, K. R. (2022). Repeated assessment of PM2.5 in Guatemalan kitchens cooking with wood: Implications for measurement strategies. In Atmospheric Environment (p. 119533). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2022.119533

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

Lu W., Wang L.A., Mann J., Jenny A., Romero C., Kuster A., Canuz E., Pillarisetti A., Smith K.R., Balmes J., Thompson L. (2022). Biomass Smoke Exposure and Atopy among Young Children in the Western Highlands of Guatemala: A Prospective Cohort Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(21):14064. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114064

Liquefied Petroleum Gas or Biomass for Cooking and Effects on Birth Weight.

Clasen, T. F., Chang, H. H., Thompson, L. M., Kirby, M. A., Balakrishnan, K., Díaz-Artiga, A., McCracken, J. P., Rosa, G., Steenland, K., Younger, A., Aravindalochanan, V., Barr, D. B., Castañaza, A., Chen, Y., Chiang, M., Clark, M. L., Garg, S., Hartinger, S., Jabbarzadeh, S., Pillarisetti, A., … Peel, J. L. (2022). Liquefied Petroleum Gas or Biomass for Cooking and Effects on Birth Weight. In New England Journal of Medicine. Massachusetts Medical Society. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa2206734

Indoor Air Pollution and Health: Bridging Perspectives from Developing and Developed Countries.

Pillarisetti, A., Ye, W., & Chowdhury, S. (2022). Indoor Air Pollution and Health: Bridging Perspectives from Developing and Developed Countries. In Annual Review of Environment and Resources (Vol. 47, Issue 1, pp. 197–229). Annual Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-012220-010602

Exposure Contrasts of Pregnant Women during the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Randomized Controlled Trial

Johnson, M., Pillarisetti, A., Piedrahita, R., Balakrishnan, K., Peel, J. L., Steenland, K., Underhill, L. J., Rosa, G., Kirby, M. A., Díaz-Artiga, A., McCracken, J., Clark, M. L., Waller, L., Chang, H. H., Wang, J., Dusabimana, E., Ndagijimana, F., Sambandam, S., … Mukhopadhyay, K. (2022). Exposure Contrasts of Pregnant Women during the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Randomized Controlled Trial. In Environmental Health Perspectives (Vol. 130, Issue 9). Environmental Health Perspectives. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp10295

2021

Indoor and Ambient Air Pollution in Chennai, India during COVID-19 Lockdown: An Affordable Sensors Study

Puttaswamy, N., Sreekanth, V., Pillarisetti, A., Upadhya, A.R., Saidam, S., Veerappan, B., Mukhopadhyay, K., Sambandam, S., Sutaria, R., Balakrishnan, K. (2022). Indoor and Ambient Air Pollution in Chennai, India during COVID-19 Lockdown: An Affordable Sensors Study. Aerosol Air Qual. Res. 22, 210170. https://doi.org/10.4209/aaqr.210170

From Air Quality Sensors to Sensor Networks: Things We Need to Learn

Li Y, Yuan Z, Anthony Chen L-W, Pillarisetti A, Yadav V, Wu M, Cui H, Zhao C. (2021). From Air Quality Sensors to Sensor Networks: Things We Need to Learn. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical. doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2021.130958

Modeling approaches and performance for estimating personal exposure to household air pollution: A case study in Kenya

Johnson, M., Piedrahita, R., Pillarisetti, A., Shupler, M., Menya, D., Rossanese, M., Delapeña, S., Penumetcha, N., Chartier, R., Puzzolo, E. and Pope, D. (2021), Modeling approaches and performance for estimating personal exposure to household air pollution: A case study in Kenya. Indoor Air. https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.12790

2020

Exposure contrasts associated with a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) intervention at potential field sites for the multi-country household air pollution intervention network (HAPIN) trial in India: results from pilot phase activities in rural Tamil Nadu.

Sambandam, S., Mukhopadhyay, K., Sendhil, S. et al. Exposure contrasts associated with a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) intervention at potential field sites for the multi-country household air pollution intervention network (HAPIN) trial in India: results from pilot phase activities in rural Tamil Nadu. BMC Public Health 20, 1799 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09865-1

Using longitudinal survey and sensor data to understand the social and ecological determinants of clean fuels use and discontinuance in rural Ghana

Carrión D, Prah R, Gould C, Agbokey F, Mujtaba M, Pillarisetti A, Tumasi M, Agyei O, Chillrud S, Tawiah T, Jack D, Asante K. Using longitudinal survey and sensor data to understand the social and ecological determinants of clean fuels use and discontinuance in rural Ghana. Environmental Research Communications. 2020/10; 2(9):095003. doi: 10.1088/2515-7620/abb831

An Integrated Sensor Data Logging, Survey, and Analytics Platform for Field Research and Its Application in HAPIN, a Multi-Center Household Energy Intervention Trial

Wilson, D.L.; Williams, K.N.; Pillarisetti, A., on behalf of the HAPIN Investigators. An Integrated Sensor Data Logging, Survey, and Analytics Platform for Field Research and Its Application in HAPIN, a Multi-Center Household Energy Intervention Trial. Sustainability 2020, 12, 1805.

Comparison of next‐generation portable pollution monitors to measure exposure to PM2.5 from household air pollution in Puno, Peru

Burrowes VJ, Piedrahita R, Pillarisetti A, Underhill L, Fandiño‐Del‐Rio M, Johnson M, Kephart J, Hartinger SM, Steenland K, Naeher L, Kearns K, Peel JL, Clark ML, Checkley W and HAPIN Investigators (2020), Comparison of next‐generation portable pollution monitors to measure exposure to PM2.5 from household air pollution in Puno, Peru. Indoor Air.

2019

The use of bluetooth low energy Beacon systems to estimate indirect personal exposure to household air pollution

Liao J, McCracken JP, Piedrahita R, Thompson L, Mollinedo E, Canuz E, De Leon O, Díaz-Artiga A, Johnson M, Clark M, Pillarisetti A, Kearns K, Naeher L, Steenland K, Checkley W, Peel J, Clasen TF et al. (2019) The use of bluetooth low energy Beacon systems to estimate indirect personal exposure to household air pollution. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol (2019) doi:10.1038/s41370-019-0172-z

2018

Measuring personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) among rural Honduran women: a field evaluation of the Ultrasonic Personal Aerosol Sampler (UPAS)

Pillarisetti A*, Carter E, Rajkumar S, Young BN, Benka-Coker M, Peel J, Johnson M, Clark M. 2019. Measuring personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) among rural Honduran women: a field evaluation of the Ultrasonic Personal Aerosol Sampler (UPAS). Environment International 123: 50-53. doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2018.11.014

The Pink Key: a low-cost stove use monitor to enable conditional cash transfers

Pillarisetti A*, Gill M, Allen T, Madhavan S, Dhongade A, Ghorpade M, Roy S, Balakrishnan K, Juvekar S, Smith KR. 2019. The Pink Key: a low-cost stove use monitor to enable conditional cash transfers. Ecohealth 15 (4) : 768-776. doi.org/10.1007/s10393-018-1379-5

2017

Small, Smart, Fast, and Cheap: Microchip-Based Sensors to Estimate Air Pollution Exposures in Rural Households

Pillarisetti A*, Allen T, Ruiz-Mercado I, Edwards R, Chowdhury Z, Garland C, et al. 2017. Small, Smart, Fast, and Cheap: Microchip-Based Sensors to Estimate Air Pollution Exposures in Rural Households. Sensors. doi.org/10.3390/s17081879

2016

Probe-based measurements of moisture in dung fuel for emissions measurements.

Gautam S, Edwards R, Yadav A, Weltman R, Pillarisetti A, Arora NK, Smith KR. 2016. Probe-based measurements of moisture in dung fuel for emissions measurements. Energy for Sustainable Development. doi: 10.1016/j.esd.2016.09.003

Use of temperature sensors to determine exclusivity of improved stove use and associated household air pollution reductions — Kenya, 2012-2013

Lozier MJ, Sircar K, Christensen B, Pillarisetti A, Pennise D, Bruce N, Stanistreet D, Naeher L, Pilishvili T, Farrar JL, Sage M, Nyagol R, Muoki J, Wochuck T, Yip F. 2016. Use of temperature sensors to determine exclusivity of improved stove use and associated household air pollution reductions — Kenya, 2012-2013. Environmental Science & Technology. doi:10.1021/acs.est.5b06141.

2014

Patterns of stove usage after introduction of an advanced cookstove: the long-term application of household sensors

Pillarisetti, A.; Vaswani, M.; Jack, D.; Balakrishnan, K.; Bates, M. N.; Arora, N. K.; Smith, K. R. Patterns of Stove Usage after Introduction of an Advanced Cookstove: The Long-Term Application of Household Sensors. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2014, 48, 14525-14533.

Field calibrations of a low-cost aerosol sensor at a regulatory monitoring site in California

Holstius, D. M., Pillarisetti, A., Smith, K. R., and Seto, E. Field calibrations of a low-cost aerosol sensor at a regulatory monitoring site in California, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 1121-1131, doi:10.5194/amt-7-1121-2014, 2014.

You don't get what you expect, you get what you inspect.