Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review

Indoor Air Pollution

Nigel Bruce, Eva Rehfuess, Sumi Mehta, Guy Hutton, Kirk Smith
Dean T Jamison, Joel G Breman, Anthony R Measham, George Alleyne, Mariam Claeson, David B Evans, Prabhat Jha, Anne Mills, Philip Musgrove
, editors.
In: Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries. 2nd edition. Washington (DC): The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank; 2006. Chapter 42.
Free Books & Documents
Review

Indoor Air Pollution

Nigel Bruce et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

Access to modern energy sources has been described as a "necessary, although not sufficient, requirement for economic and social development" (IEA 2002). It is, therefore, of great concern that almost half the world's population still relies for its everyday household energy needs on inefficient and highly polluting solid fuels, mostly biomass (wood, animal dung, and crop wastes) and coal.

The majority of households using solid fuels burn them in open fires or simple stoves that release most of the smoke into the home. The resulting indoor air pollution (IAP) is a major threat to health, particularly for women and young children, who may spend many hours close to the fire. Furthermore, the reliance on solid fuels and inefficient stoves has other, far-reaching consequences for health, the environment, and economic development.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Albalak R., Bruce N. G., McCracken J. P., Smith K. R. Indoor Respirable Particulate Matter Concentrations from an Open Fire, Improved Cookstove, and LPG/Open Fire Combination in a Rural Guatemalan Community. Environmental Science and Technology. 2001;35(13):2650–55. - PubMed
    1. Ando M., Tadano M., Asanuma S., Tamura K., Matsushima S., Watanabe T. et al. Health Effects of Indoor Fluoride Pollution from Coal Burning in China. Environmental Health Perspectives. 1998;106(5):239–44. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Balakrishnan K., Parikh J., Sankar S., Padmavathi R., Srividya K., Venugopal V. et al. Daily Average Exposures to Respirable Particulate Matter from Combustion of Biomass Fuels in Rural Households of Southern India. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2002;110(11):1069–75. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ballard-Tremeer, G., and A. Mathee. 2000. "Review of Interventions to Reduce the Exposure of Women and Young Children to Indoor Air Pollution in Developing Countries." Paper prepared for USAID/WHO International Consultation on Household Energy, Indoor Air Pollution and Health, Washington, DC, May 4–6.
    1. Barnes B., Mathee A., Shafritz L., Krieger L., Sherburne L., Favin M. Testing Selected Behaviours to Reduce Indoor Air Pollution Exposure in Young Children. Health Education Research. 2004a;19(5):543–50. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources