Three billion people, nearly half of the world's population, use inefficient stoves to cook their daily meals. Fueled by wood, coal, or dung, these traditional cookstoves or open fires produce smoke that contributes to the 4.3 million estimated annual deaths from exposures to household air pollution, with women and young children the most affected. Cookstove smoke contributes to a range of chronic illnesses and acute health impacts such as low birth weight and acute pneumonia in children under 5, lung cancer, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and cardiovascular disease. Reliance on biomass for cooking and heating puts increased pressure on natural resources and contributes to climate change through emissions of greenhouse gases. In addition, women and girls face personal security risks as they forage for fuel near refugee camps and conflict zones.
Syndicated Content Details:
Source URL: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/programs/geh/cookstoves/index.cfm
Source Agency: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Captured Date: 2016-03-21 13:50:00.0
Syndicated Content Details:
Source URL: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/programs/geh/cookstoves/index.cfm
Source Agency: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Captured Date: 2016-03-21 13:50:00.0