Vol. 116, No. 4 EnvironewsOpen AccessCooking with Wood May Fuel Low Birth Weight: Kitchen Smoke Puts Babies at Risk Cynthia Washam Cynthia Washam Search for more papers by this author Published:1 April 2008https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.116-a173aCited by:3AboutSectionsPDF ToolsDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InReddit The etiology of low birth weight (LBW; defined as weighing less than 2.5 kg at birth) is complex, with demographic, nutritional, reproductive, and socioeconomic factors each potentially playing a role. Inhaled tobacco smoke is the leading cause of LBW in industrialized countries, and inhaled smoke from the world’s most widely used cooking fuel, wood, can impair fetal growth much the same way. A team of researchers therefore launched a population-based study to examine the risk of LBW specifically in relation to use of wood fuel during pregnancy [EHP 116:543–549; Siddiqui et al.]. They found that maternal exposure to pollutants from wood smoke increases the risk of LBW, which is linked with myriad health problems including nutritional deficiencies, impaired psychomotor development, and chronic disease.Tobacco smoke and wood smoke work in two ways to thwart fetal development. One occurs when carbon monoxide combines with hemoglobin to cross the placenta. This causes hypoxia, or a decreased oxygen supply to tissue, which limits the ability of the placenta to transfer nutrients to the fetus. The other occurs when inhaled particulate matter from smoke impairs fetal growth by damaging cells through oxidative stress.The team of U.S.- and Pakistan-based researchers studied births in the latter country, where more than half the population cooks with wood and the 19% LBW rate is among the world’s highest. The researchers studied 634 women who gave birth from 2000 through 2002 in the poor, semirural community of Rehri Goth. Interviewers collected data on the mothers’ cooking habits and family demographics. The researchers also obtained pregnancy and delivery data from the mothers’ and infants’ medical records.Women who used wood fuel during pregnancy had a significantly higher risk of delivering LBW babies than those who cooked with natural gas—23% versus 15%. More time spent cooking was linked with increased LBW risk in wood users but not natural gas users. Wood users were poorer than users of natural gas; more of them lived in crowded, run-down houses; and they were more likely to be illiterate. Wood users also tended to weigh less than natural gas users.Although such socioeconomic factors may play a greater role in birth outcomes, cooking fuel is one factor that is relatively amenable to change. The authors now propose studies of the health impact of smoke-free stoves. The World Health Organization has predicted that if all Pakistani households cooking with wood converted to cleaner fuels, the incidence of LBW would fall from the current rate of 19% to just below the 15% target rate set by the organization.Wood is the cooking fuel of choice for 53% of Pakistani householdsFiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited By Lamkaddem A, EL Moussaoui N, Rhiat M, Malek R, Kassmi K, Deblecker O and Bachiri N (2022) System for powering autonomous solar cookers by batteries, Scientific African, 10.1016/j.sciaf.2022.e01349, 17, (e01349), Online publication date: 1-Sep-2022. Manyeh A, Kukula V, Odonkor G, Ekey R, Adjei A, Narh-Bana S, Akpakli D and Gyapong M (2016) Socioeconomic and demographic determinants of birth weight in southern rural Ghana: evidence from Dodowa Health and Demographic Surveillance System, BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 10.1186/s12884-016-0956-2, 16:1, Online publication date: 1-Dec-2016. Amegah A, Jaakkola J, Quansah R, Norgbe G and Dzodzomenyo M (2012) Cooking fuel choices and garbage burning practices as determinants of birth weight: a cross-sectional study in Accra, Ghana, Environmental Health, 10.1186/1476-069X-11-78, 11:1, Online publication date: 1-Dec-2012. Vol. 116, No. 4 April 2008Metrics About Article Metrics Publication History Originally published1 April 2008Published in print1 April 2008 Financial disclosuresPDF download License information EHP is an open-access journal published with support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health. All content is public domain unless otherwise noted. Note to readers with disabilities EHP strives to ensure that all journal content is accessible to all readers. However, some figures and Supplemental Material published in EHP articles may not conform to 508 standards due to the complexity of the information being presented. If you need assistance accessing journal content, please contact [email protected]. Our staff will work with you to assess and meet your accessibility needs within 3 working days.