Cardiorespiratory Toxicity of Biomass Pollutants

Abstract

Traditional biomass alone accounts for 8.5% of global energy consumption and exclusively covers the energy needs of nearly 3 billion people and 1.2 billion of whom do not yet have access to electricity. The smoke resulting from the combustion of this biomass contains various gases having harmful effects on health. This work aims to evaluate the toxic effects of carbon monoxide, methane and hydrogen sulfide on biochemical and cardiorespiratory parameters of Wistar rats. The complete blood count, C-reactive protein, lipid profile and histology of the lungs are evaluated after subchronic exposure to biomass smoke. The results showed a decrease in red blood cells (p = 0.004), an increase in blood platelets, an increase in C - reactive protein (p = 0.003) and triglycerides (p = 0.0041) and a decrease in HDL (p = 0, 0215) after 28 days of exposure. Exposure to smoke from biomass is therefore a source of alteration of cardiorespiratory parameters.