Smoke - the killer in the kitchen
Background and resources
Indoor smoke from cooking fires is one of the leading killers in the developing world.
According to the World Health Organisation, 1.5 million people die from illnesses caused by indoor smoke (also know as indoor air pollution) every year. Illnesses caused by indoor smoke include pneumonia, chronic respiratory disease and lung cancer. A child exposed to smoke in the home is two to three times more likely to catch pneumonia, which is one of the world's leading killers of young children. Women who cook on solid fuels are up to four times more likely to suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, such as chronic bronchitis. Lung cancer in women in China has been directly linked to the use of coal-burning stoves. In addition, there is evidence to link indoor smoke to asthma, tuberculosis, cataracts, low birth weight and high infant mortality.
Smoke is not an indiscriminate killer. It is the poorest, who rely on fuels like wood and dung for cooking because they cannot access gas or electricity, who suffer most. Indoor smoke also hits women and small children the hardest. Women typically spend three to seven hours a day by the fire and exposed to smoke, often with young children nearby. Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of indoor smoke - it is responsible for the deaths of nearly one million children a year.
Key facts• Half of humanity - over 3 billion people - cook using wood, dung, crop waste, coal and charcoal. |
