Solid Fuel Use: Health Effect

Abstract

Globally, more than 3 billion people depend on biomass and coal to meet their basic energy needs for cooking, boiling water, lighting, and, depending on climatic conditions, space-heating. The combustion of such solid fuels in inefficient stoves, often under conditions of poor household ventilation, results in concentrations of particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and a range of other health-damaging pollutants that exceed accepted guideline limits many times. Exposure to indoor air pollution from solid fuel use has been linked to a wide spectrum of health outcomes, in particular acute lower respiratory infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer; young children and women are disproportionately affected. Globally, solid fuel use was estimated to be responsible for approximately 1.6 million deaths and 2.6% of the total burden of disease in the year 2000, making it the second most important environmental health risk behind unsafe water, sanitation, and hygiene. Combining high-quality study designs with reliable measures of exposure, future research should seek clarity on exposure–response relationships and on household solid fuel use as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, tuberculosis, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and other health outcomes of substantial public health concern.