Kitchen smoke is hazardous

About 1.6 million people, die each year from a killer disease in the kitchen, brought on by inhaling smoke from cooking stoves and indoor fires. Nearly half the world uses fuels like dung, wood, agricultural residues and coal cooking, and these emit a poisonous gas that doubles the risk of respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Women and children living in poor rural areas of developing countries, who cook with a typical wood-fired stove, are subjected to high levels of carbon monoxide and other noxious fumes that are 7 to 500 times above internationally accepted levels. The amount of smoke from these fires is equivalent to consuming two packs of cigarettes a day. Theoretically, one life is lost every 20 seconds due to this kitchen killer.

Children younger than five years of age are particularly at a high risk of developing pneumonia, with some 900,000 deaths reported each year linked to smoke inhalation. Bronchitis is the main killer of women. Although the long term solution is to replace solid fuels, there are cheap and quick steps that developing countries and rural communities can take in the meantime. Keeping children away from smoky areas and using dried wood along with lids on pans to reduce cooking time are simple actions that will reduce the toll.

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