Indoor Smoke- The Killer In Kitchen

Indoor air pollution is a chronic problem in rural remote areas of developing countries. Most people who depend on traditional biomass dwell in the countryside where both agricultural residues and wood are readily available.

In city areas the outdoor pollution through air has become a major carrier of deadly diseases. This is the same case in rural area however it’s the exact opposite case. People living urban areas suffer from the constant pollution created form vehicles and industries and people from indoor pollution caused by burning solid fuels. Do you know that 1.6 million people living in developing regions die due to health problems caused from burning solid fuels?

This is a simple fact not many people know about. Around 3 billion people still use wood and crop waste as fuel for cooking and heating purpose. Most of the people using these solid fuels are from sub-Saharan Africa and developing Asia. Having no other option than using the available solid fuel makes the vulnerable to some of the most dangerous health problems.

Among 1.6 million people who are victim of indoor pollution most of them are women and children. They get more affected because they have to spend almost four to eight hours a day in kitchen preparing food along with children. Acute lower respiratory infection, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary tuberculosis, lung cancer, asthma and some are the major health problems that are found due to the exposure to indoor smoke.

Indoor smoke becomes harmful to people because they release black carbon and methane along with pollutant particles which enters to our lungs through nostrils which remains and becomes the cause of problems. Indoor pollution is a big issue and billions of population can’t be provided with clean fuel source so, Practical Answers provides its ideas of using improvised stoves and construction of smoke chimneys which will lessen the smoke inside house.

Indoor smoke are produce through biomass burning and poor people cannot afford using other fuel source so, making the information available to them to reduce its effects can be more helpful and save thousands of people’s lives.