Indoor Air Pollution and the Public Health Burden

Indoor air pollution is major global public health burden that results from cooking on rudimentary stoves with biomass fuels (wood, dung, and agricultural residue) and coal. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that nearly 2 million excess deaths per year, and 2.7% of DALY’s lost can be attributed to indoor air pollution and the harmful particles and chemicals emitted from the incomplete combustion of solid fuels. Approximately 32% of this burden is seen in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where there is an unequal distribution of the burden of indoor air pollution to lower income peoples and to women and children.  There is increasing evidence that exposure to indoor air pollution can be attributed to  increased risk in acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI), asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cardiac events, eye disease, tuberculosis, and various forms of cancer. In addition to the women who at risk of harmful particulates and chemicals, small children less than five years of age are also at increased risk of pneumonia from the incomplete combustion of fuels. In SSA it is estimated that 30% of deaths caused by ALRI can be attributed to solid fuel use.