Center for Entrepreneurship in International Health and Development (CEIHD)
Health Effects of Air Pollution
Many women and children are exposed to high levels of indoor air pollution every day. A glance across diverse cultures and landscapes reveals a strikingly common image: women laboring for long hours over smoky fires cooking food for their families. These mothers often carry their infants and keep older children close by as they go about this essential but dangerous activity.
>> The World Health Report-2002 ranked indoor air pollution (IAP) from solid fuels as the fourth most important health risk factor in least developed countries, where 40% of the world’s population lives. For more information please see: The World Health Organization's introduction to IAP, Ezzati, et al., Selected Regional risk factors in regional and global burden of disease, The Lancet and Chapter 4 of World Health Report 2000.
>> Indoor air pollution is responsible for at least 1.6 million deaths annually. Indoor air pollution is a key risk factor for acute respiratory infections, which is leading cause of death worldwide for children under five. For more information see article from Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2000 and article from Environmental Health Perspectives on quantifying effects of indoor air pollution.
>> In addition to acute respiratory infections, chronic exposure to smoke is a risk factor for chronic pulmonary obstruction disease, lung cancer, tuberculosis, blindness, and perinatal complications. Secondary health problems include burns as well as injuries sustained while gathering fuel. For more information, see CEIHD literature review and publications by Dr. Kirk R. Smith.
copyright CEIHD - UC Berkeley School of Public Health, 2003
