Indoor Air Pollution: National Burden Of Disease Estimates
Worldwide, more than three billion people depend on
solid fuels, including biomass (wood, dung and crop
residues) and coal, for cooking and heating. Exposure
to indoor air pollution from solid fuels has been linked
to many different diseases, including acute and chronic
respiratory diseases, tuberculosis, asthma, cardiovascular
disease and perinatal health outcomes. A recent review
concluded that there is strong evidence for indoor air
pollution as a cause of pneumonia and other acute lower
respiratory infections (ALRI) among children under five
years of age, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD) and lung cancer (in relation to coal use) among
adults. Only these three diseases were included in the
assessment of the burden of disease from indoor air
pollution.
