The Health Impacts of Exposure to Indoor Air Pollution from Solid Fuels in Developing Countries: Knowledge, Gaps, and Data Needs (original) (raw)
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Indoor air pollution from biomass fuels: a major health hazard in developing countries
Journal of Public Health, 2012
ABSTRACT Background Nearly 3 billion people live without electricity today. This energy poverty means that they have to resort to biomass fuels for their household energy needs. When burned, these fuels release a mixture of toxic chemicals in their smoke, which is often over twenty times greater than World Health Organization (WHO) and Environmental Protection Agency recommended guideline limits. Aim This review details factors that contribute to indoor air pollution, its effects on health, and discusses corrective measures to consider when planning intervention strategies to stem the high morbidity and mortality trend. Methods The term developing countries is defined using the 2008 United Nations Conferences on Trade and Development Handbook. PubMed, Google Scholar and Science Direct databases from 1990 to 2011 were searched using the key terms: indoor air pollution, biomass fuel, particulate matter, health risks, and developing countries. Bibliographies of all relevant articles were also screened to find further eligible articles. Inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed articles and technical reports from global health organizations such as the WHO and United Nations Development Program. Exclusion criteria were articles focused on modern energy, developed countries, and non-English publications. Results The review discusses the extent of indoor air pollution related to use of biomass for cooking and assesses its impact on various health and social problems, including lung diseases, adverse pregnancy outcomes and human development, especially in vulnerable populations. It also offers strategies to mitigate problems related to indoor air pollution. Conclusions Biomass fuel is a major cause of indoor air pollution and is a significant health hazard in developing countries. A thorough understanding of the connection between choice of fuel for household needs and health impact of long-term exposure to pollutants from smoke generated during use of biomass for cooking is required so that appropriate intervention strategies and policies can be established to protect vulnerable populations.
Indoor air pollution in developing countries: a major environmental and public health challenge
Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2000
Around 50% of people, almost all in developing countries, rely on coal and biomass in the form of wood, dung and crop residues for domestic energy. These materials are typically burnt in simple stoves with very incomplete combustion. Consequently, women and young children are exposed to high levels of indoor air pollution every day. There is consistent evidence that indoor air pollution increases the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and of acute respiratory infections in childhood, the most important cause of death among children under 5 years of age in developing countries. Evidence also exists of associations with low birth weight, increased infant and perinatal mortality, pulmonary tuberculosis, nasopharyngeal and laryngeal cancer, cataract, and, specifically in respect of the use of coal, with lung cancer. Conflicting evidence exists with regard to asthma. All studies are observational and very few have measured exposure directly, while a substantial proportion have...
2004
The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the World Health Organization concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement. In this guide SFU is defined as: the household combustion of biomass (such as dung, charcoal, wood, or crop residues), or coal. Worldwide, approximately 50% of all households and 90% of rural households utilize solid fuels for cooking or heating. In simple stoves, biomass fuels emit substantial amounts of health-damaging pollutants, including respirable particulates, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, benzene, formaldehyde, 1,3 butadiene, and polyaromatic compounds such as benzo(a)pyrene (Smith, 1987). Depending on their quality, coal fuels may also emit sulphur oxides and 1.3 Other sources of indoor air pollution This guide stresses the importance of SFU in households, since this is the single most important situation by which people become exposed to air pollution. However, other
Indoor air pollution as a lung health hazard: focus on populous countries
Current opinion in pulmonary medicine, 2009
Indoor air pollution (IAP) resulting from the use of solid fuel for cooking and heating is a significant public health concern in developing countries. Recent studies have attempted to better characterize the epidemiology of IAP in respiratory diseases and develop technologies for reducing this IAP exposure. Evidence showed that IAP resulting from solid fuel smoke is a causative or contributory factor to acute respiratory infection, chronic obstructive lung disease, asthma, lung cancer and tuberculosis. Evidence also showed that health education, improvements in household ventilation and area distribution, improvements in stoves and changes of the fuels for cooking and heating can reduce IAP. Evidence of impacts of IAP on respiratory system disease is strong. Although some technologies can improve indoor air quality in households, improving it in households is still an urgent and high-priority task. Longitudinal studies using different methods of exposure assessment that include bot...
Short-and Long-Term Health Effects of Burning Biomass in the Home in Low-Income Countries
4 In a review of the limited studies examining the pollution "microenvironment," Kammen (2002, p. 1059) conclude that "Coupled with the large variability of emission from biofuels over short periods, with the instantaneous peaks coinciding with household members who cook being consistently closest to the fire, this [evidence] indicates that the complete time-activity budgets of individuals, in relation to emission concentrations, are important determinants of exposure." 5 , for example, find that concentrations of 300 μg/m 3 or higher are common in Bangladeshi households. A recent study (and accompanying editorial) published in the New England Journal of Medicine (Gauderman et al., 2004) finds striking associations between air pollution and lung development and function measured annually for eight years among children 10-18 years of age in California, where particulate concentrations are far lower than in Bangladesh.
Health Risk Assessment of Indoor Air Quality in Developing Countries
The health effects of many pollutants such as particulate matter, carbon monoxide, oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons Reparable particulate matter is now regarded as the single best indicator pollutant for review the overall health-damaging potential of most types of combustion, including that of biomass. Rural societies use fuel wood and biomass fuel for cooking and heating, which is not only expensive but also produces smokes that influences their health and pollute indoor environment. Usually, cow dung is generally put in the courtyard of rural households, which harbors insects, flies and produce vulgar smell that affects the health of the dwellers. A preliminary review of the literature reflects that there exist a substantial amount of literature and existing data in the form of published report on indoor air pollution. The overall research design is exploratory the review is related to the indoor air pollutant status among the developing countries. The main diseases according to above literature were asthma, respiratory tract infections, chronic pulmonary diseases, lungs cancer etc. the studies were conducted in the developing countries such as Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Uganda, Africa, Sri Lank, China, Ethiopia, Nepal.. So it concluded that developing countries had major problem of health hazards because use of biomass fuel for the purposes of cooking.
Indoor air pollution from household use of solid fuels
… quantification of health risks …, 2004
This chapter summarizes the methodology used to assess the burden of disease caused by indoor air pollution from household use of solid fuels. Most research into and control of indoor air pollution worldwide has focused on sources of particular concern in developed countries, such as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), volatile organic compounds from furnishings and radon from soil. Although these pollutants have impacts on health, little is known about their global distribution. Thus, we focus solely on indoor smoke from household use of solid fuels, the most widespread traditional source of indoor air pollution on a global scale. In order to be consistent with the epidemiological literature, binary classifications of household use of solid fuels (biomass and coal) were used as a practical surrogate for actual exposure to indoor air pollution. Specifically, household solid fuel use was estimated at the national level using binary classifications of exposure to household fuel use, i.e. solid fuel and non-solid fuel (gas, kerosene, electricity). We estimated exposure to smoke from solid fuel by combining a number of national surveys of household fuel use into a regression model that predicts use according to independent, development-related variables, such as income and urbanization. Although this method was necessary owing to the current paucity of quantitative data on exposure, we acknowledge that it overlooks the large variability of exposure within households using solid fuels. As pollution emissions from the use of solid fuel may not always indicate high exposures, we have adjusted exposure estimates by a second term, the ventilation factor, which is based on qualitative measures of ventilation. Estimates of relative risk obtained from epidemiological studies were combined in meta-analyses for three disease end-points for which there is strong evidence of an association with use of solid fuels: acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) in children aged <5 years, chronic
Indoor Air Pollution Related Respiratory Ill Health, a Sequel of Biomass Use
SciMedicine Journal, 2019
Introduction: Climate change may worsen existing indoor air problems and create new problems by altering outdoor conditions that affect indoor conditions. Since climate change is due to both natural variability and human-induced contributions, public health professionals through their expertise in health promotion and behavior change can play a vital role in promoting lifestyle choices that will decrease greenhouse gas emissions. This study, therefore, aims at presenting the health effects of indoor air pollutants from biomass use. Methods: A cross sectional study involving 1,170 consenting women was conducted in Masaiti and Ndola districts of Zambia. Data collection tools included a structured questionnaire; foobot (indoor air quality monitoring device) and spirometer (lung function test device). Data was analyzed using SPSS version 16 and analyses were done at Univariate, bivariate and multivariate level at 5% statistical significant level. Results: Population using biomass as coo...
Vulnerability of rural health exposed by indoor pollution generated from biomass and fossil fuels
A cross-sectional study was done by considering the biomass (n = 50) and fossil fuels (n = 50) user in rural villages of West Bengal. The measured pollutants were sulphur dioxide, oxide of nitrogen and suspended particulate matter. However, level of average concentration of SO 2 , NO 2 and suspended particulate matter showed higher in winter followed by premonsoon and least in summer, respectively. Health related information indicate that fossil fuel users suffer more than that of biofuel users. They suffer from asthma (p < 0.000), cough (p < 0.000), lung cancer (p < 0.000), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (p < 0.0000). Women who use biofuel are prone to the adverse pregnancy outcomes (low birth weights) (p < 0.001), pneumonia (p < 0.000), common cold and breathing problem (p < 0.012). Results indicate that fossil fuel users are significantly more exposed to the pollutants than that of biofuels in all respects. The fossil fuel users are exposed to the highest concentration of SO 2 and SPM in winter and NO 2 in summer. Moreover, it was recorded that mainly three types of stoves were used by villagers in the study area. Health status data indicate about 64 % of the villagers suffer from asthma, cough both and only 2 % and 1 % of the villagers are affected from pneumonia and respiratory problems.