Indoor air pollution became a concern of researchers during the 2000s. Indoor pollutants include radon, tobacco smoke, carbon monoxide and combustion products. Since people spend much of their time inside their homes, understanding the impact of indoor pollutants, such as solid fuels, on human health is a high priority.
Types
Fuels, which can be either solid or liquid, are substances that burn easily in air and release energy (Reference 6). Common solid fuels include coal and biomass fuels--dung, charcoal, wood or crop residues (Reference 4). The World Bank reports that biomass fuels are the main sources of fuel for 60 to 90 percent of all households in developing countries (Reference 4). Solid fuels produce more pollutants than liquid ones (Reference 6).
Uses
In the World Health Organization's, or WHO, 2004 study, "Indoor Smoke from Solid Fuels", a team of environmental experts headed by Manish A. Desai, found that approximately 50 percent of households worldwide use solid fuels for heating and cooking (Reference 2). Solid fuels are cheap and readily available sources of fuel for people living in developing nations, according to the World Bank (Reference 4). People commonly use these fuels in fireplaces and wood stoves or for open fires.
Geography
Most of the developed, or industrialized, nations have switched to cleaner liquid fuels, such as natural gas. However, people living in developing nations rely on solid fuels as an energy source. According to the International Energy Agency, or IEA, using biomass fuels such as charcoal, animal dung and agricultural residues can have adverse environmental effects (Reference 5). In some developing countries, such as those in sub-Saharan Africa, charcoal production is inefficient and can lead to deforestation and land degradation near urban areas (Reference 5). Greater use of animal dung or agricultural residues reduces soil fertility and increases soil erosion, according to the IEA (Reference 5).
Dangers
Using solid fuels in your home can result in fire, explosion or illness. During combustion, solid fuels release pollutants, such as carbon monoxide, particulates, formaldehyde, arsenic, sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides into the air (Reference 4). Cooking on poor-quality stoves or over an open fire in a poorly ventilated home exacerbates the effects of these toxic substances (Reference 3). Exposure to these pollutants can lead to lung cancer, respiratory illnesses and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to a 2005 study entitled "Lung Cancer and Indoor Pollution from Heating and Cooking with Solid Fuels" that was conducted by a team of cancer researchers led by Dr. Jolanta Lissowska of the Cancer Center and M. Sklodowska-Curie Institute of Oncology in Warsaw, Poland (Reference 3).
Prevention/Solution
Keeping wood stove emissions to a minimum and having chimneys and flues inspected annually can help reduce exposure to pollutants released by solid fuels, according to the EPA (Reference 1). A tight fitting door on woodstoves reduces the amount of pollutants that might escape as the wood burns. In addition, the EPA advises people to only use aged or dried wood and never to burn wood that has been pressure-treated with chemicals indoors (Reference 1). The World Bank finds that switching from wood to charcoal, the cleanest of the solid fuels, and installing better stoves can help reduce exposure to indoor air pollution caused by using solid fuels (Reference 4).
References
- EPA: An Introduction Indoor Air Quality
- World Health Organization: Indoor Smoke from Solid Fuels
- Oxford Journals: American Journal of Epidemiology: Lung Cancer and Indoor Pollution from Heating and Cooking with Solid Fuels
- World Bank: Public Health at a Glance: Indoor Air Pollution
- International Energy Agency: Implications of Energy Poverty on Health & Environment
