Household air pollution
[1] Since much of the cooking is carried out with biomass fuel, in the form of wood, charcoal, dung, and crop residue, in indoor environments that lack proper ventilation, millions of people, primarily women and children face serious health risks.
Since much of the cooking is carried out indoors in environments that lack proper ventilation, millions of people, primarily women and children face serious health risks.
Over the past several decades, there have been numerous studies investigating the air pollution generated by traditional household solid fuel combustion for space heating, lighting, and cooking in developing countries.
[6] Smoke from traditional household solid fuel combustion commonly contains a range of incomplete combustion products, including both fine and coarse particulate matter (e.g., PM2.5, PM10), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and a variety of organic air pollutants (e.g., formaldehyde, 1,3-butadiene, benzene, acetaldehyde, acrolein, phenols, pyrene, benzopyrene, benzo(a)pyrene, dibenzopyrenes, dibenzocarbazoles, and cresols).
[6] In January 2023, ways of improving indoor air pollution when using a gas stove, linked to an increased risk of asthma and other possible illnesses, was published in The New York Times.
[7] Most measurements have been focused on breathing-zone exposure levels of particulate matter (PM) and carbon monoxide (CO), which are the main products of incomplete combustion and are considered to pose the greatest health risks.
A recent study of 163 households in two rural Chinese counties reported geometric mean indoor PM2.5 concentrations of 276 μg/m3 (combinations of different plant materials, including wood, tobacco stems, and corncobs), 327 μg/m3 (wood), 144 μg/m3 (smoky coal), and 96 μg/m3 (smokeless coal) for homes using a variety of different fuel types and stove configurations (e.g., vented, unvented, portable, fire pit, mixed ventilation stove).
[6] Rural Kenya has been the site of various applied research projects to determine the intensity of emissions that commonly occur from use of biomass fuels, particularly wood, dung, and crop residue.
[8] Because many Kenyan women utilize a three-stone fire, the worst offender, one kilogram of burning wood produces tiny particles of soot which can clog and irritate the bronchial pathways.
[14] The presence of COVID-19 in the world brought terrible conditions for humanity, but it also pushed government officials to take action regarding proper indoor ventilation.
Subsidies towards investment in R&D for cleaner technologies and fuels, as well as for the implementation of a baseline standards and testing framework for cleanliness and efficiency (also provision of a public good), is necessary to create an effective and sustainable supply chain.
WHO has stated that more governmental outreach and intervention must be utilized if society wishes to clean up household air and remove the harmful particulate matter into this environment.
For example, in Nairobi, Kenya, a large portion of the land mass is taken up by slums, neighborhoods that were rapidly built with little to no access to public services and goods [34] Due to the poor state and condition of the population in this area, those in the slums typically stick to burning harsh woods and fossil fuels and are often located close to dumpsites, or even highways which can drastically impact household air pollution through open windows, cracks in the walls and ceilings, and poor insolation.
[35] However, due to this issue regarding the structure and ruling over the population, several stakeholders, including decision-makers (local), policymakers, and non-governmental figures, are considering many interventions through a dynamic system of workshop participants.
The skyrocketing levels of household air pollution and their connection to health effects have led to the presence of governmental partners taking action to reverse the adverse reactions brought on by HAP.
Several strategies have been brought into play, increasing supply and demand for cleaner household cooking appliances and making the everyday environment more suitable for these new interventions.
[40] Innovations in business models have also allowed for cook stove suppliers to "dramatically improve both manufacturer and end-user economics, while achieving high levels of health and environmental benefits".
[41] National and international effort must be stepped up to advance short and long-term solutions for the millions of women and children who suffer from poverty and disease as a result of indoor air pollution.
Scientists predict the African continent will be the first to experience the effects of global warming where widespread poverty will put millions at further risk due to their limited capabilities to adapt.
Studies show that mass marketing campaigns do in fact increase awareness of risks of household air pollution, but are often unsuccessful in raising purchases of improved stoves.
Design of these interventions must be undertaken with the knowledge that "consumer needs and preferences are complex and are influenced by many contextual and social factors that require a deep understanding of culture, going beyond technology and economics".
[49] As of 2004, Kenya has shown a willingness to undertake biomass energy issues with the understanding that consumption is associated with indoor air pollution and environmental degradation.
Short-term solutions rest in more efficient domestic energy use by way of improved cook stoves which provide more affordable options in the near future than a complete shift to nonsolid fuels.
Long-term solutions rest on transition to modern cleaner fuels and alternative energy sources within a broad international and national policy and economic agenda.
For an investment of as little as $100 for the panel and wiring, the PV system can be used to charge a car battery, which can then provide power to run a fluorescent lamp or a small television for a few hours a day.
The Upesi stove, made of clay and kiln-fired, was developed by Practical Action and East African partners to utilize wood and agricultural wastes.
Not only does it cut the use of fuel-wood by approximately half, and reduce exposure to household smoke, it also empowers local women by creating employment as they are the ones who make and market the stoves.
Safety increased due to the smoke hoods preventing goats and children from falling into the fire and less soot contamination was observed, along with snakes and rodents not entering the home.
[56] This initial pilot program has evolved into CRECER (Chronic Respiratory Effects of Early Childhood Exposure to Respirable Particulate Matter), which will attempt to follow children in intervention households for a longer period of time to determine whether the improved stoves also contribute to greater health over the lifespan.
[61] China is an example of an environmental problem such as air pollution breaking through to a public community with transparent information to take action and drive a reaction from their government officials.
