Kolkata, Jun 28 : Around 3 billion of the world’s poorest people still rely on solid fuels (wood, animal dung, charcoal, crop wastes and coal) burned in inefficient stoves for cooking and heating, and some 1.2 billion light their homes with simple kerosene lamps.
These household energy practices emit large quantities of health-damaging particulate matter and climate warming pollutants (e.g. black carbon) into the household environment, increasing the risk of respiratory illnesses, including childhood pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular diseases, and lung cancers.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), global burden of disease estimates have found that exposure to household air pollution due to cooking on inefficient biomass stoves led to an estimated 4.3 million deaths in 2012. This does not include risks related to the use of inefficient lighting like candles or kerosene lamps.
The data also does not consider deaths or diseases related to or the use of coal, kerosene or biomass heating systems, which may also emit large quantities of particulate-laden smoke either directly into the household – or outdoors in the neighbourhood
The use of traditional fuels for household cooking, heating and lighting is also associated with a high risk of burns (e.g. from children falling into fires, spilled fuel, etc) and poisoning (e.g. from children ingesting kerosene).
Women and children may also be as risk for injury and violence during fuel collection. Fuel gathering may take many hours per week, limiting other productive activities and taking children away from school.
Reliance on wood as fuel can also contribute to deforestation, especially in areas where fuelwood is scarce. Unsustainable wood harvesting can lead to forest degradation and loss of habitat and biodiversity.
In terms of heating systems, portable kerosene cookers and heaters emit significant particulate matter, including black carbon emissions, directly into the household environment or outdoors, if the system is closed.
Portable gas heaters emit comparatively less particulate matter, but can still release excessive quantities of NOx into the indoor environment as well as creating risks of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Central heating systems, whereby fuel is burned in a contained boiler, heating water or another circulation liquid, usually provide a clean indoors environment.
However, systems that burn diesel or fuel oil tend to release significant particulate matter outdoors – contributing to ambient air pollution as well as to climate change – through both CO2 and black carbon emissions.
Central heating systems that operate on natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas fuels generally emit far less particulate matter, including far less black carbon, as well as lower CO2emissions.
UNI.
Comments are closed.