Some 50% of the world's population uses solid fuels for cooking, light and heat. Most widely used in low- and middle-income countries, these fuels include not only coal, but also wood, dung, straw and agricultural waste.

 

Combustion of these fuels releases a variety of pollutants, such as respirable particles, carbon monoxide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, formaldehyde, chlorinated dioxins, and free radicals.

 

Exposure to these pollutants is a significant risk factor for a number of lung diseases, and each year an estimated 1.5 to 2 million deaths are attributable to indoor air pollution.

 

Since women and young children spend the greatest amount of time in the home, there is strong evidence of an association between exposure to solid fuel smoke and acute lower respiratory infections in young children and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer in women. Men have been found to be at moderate risk for COPD and lung cancer, primarily from exposure to coal smoke.

 

To address the problem of indoor air pollution, The Union has worked with partners to prepare a monograph on "Lung Health Consequences of Exposure to Smoke from Domestic Use of Solid Fuels". Click here to download this monograph.

 

As part of a World Bank-funded project, The Union also conducted a case control study on the association between indoor air pollution and tuberculosis in Benin and China.

 

Indoor air pollution challenges

• 1.5 to 2 million deaths are attribute to indoor air pollution
• Half of all people in the world rely on solid fuel for cooking, light and heat
• Three types of lung disease have a strong association with exposure to solid fuel smoke: COPD and lung cancer in women and acute lower respiratory infections in young children.

Source: The Union