Air Pollution from Solid Fuels

Abstract

Mitigation and control of air pollution depend on our endeavor and focus on the sources of concern. Households in vast number of countries of the developing world depend on biomass fuel (wood, dung, and agricultural residues) and coal as their basic source of energy needs of daily life, for cooking, lighting, and climatic controls. Concerns have been raised about the emissions of pollutants from the combustion of solid biomass fuels, solid waste, coal, vegetation, and forest fire. These combustions produce air pollutants including organic, inorganic, and particulate matters. The population directly exposed to such polluting environment are at risk of health impacts, for example, acute respiratory infections (ARI), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, tuberculosis, lung cancer (from coal smoke), cancer of the nasopharynx and larynx, including perinatal conditions and low birth weight, cardiovascular disease, cataract, and blindness.