Author: Alex Yang
Editors: Yueshan Yu, Kevin Yao
Artist: Alvina Zheng
Has cooking ever made you wonder if it could put your family’s health at risk? This is a frequent occurrence happening in households worldwide, causing over 3.2 million deaths per year. Despite it sounding harmless, household air pollution has major global consequences. Many still cook in open fires or stoves using solid fuels such as wood, crop waste, charcoal, coal, and kerosene. These fuels produce a lot of pollutants which can be damaging to health, as the small particles can enter your lungs and bloodstream. In poorly ventilated areas, these harmful particles can be one hundred times higher than normal. In these areas, women and children are most at risk, as reduced lung function makes them more vulnerable. According to research conducted by the World Health Organization in
2020, household air pollution led to over 237,000 deaths of children under the age of five.
Household air pollution is not only caused by household chores but also by building materials, furnishings, heating, air conditioning, humidification devices, excess moisture, and outdoor sources like pesticides, which can all carry harmful particles. Your environment plays a significant role in the air quality inside your home. With cracks and holes in the structure, poor outdoor air quality can easily infiltrate indoors. When being exposed to these conditions, immediate health effects could occur, like irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue due to reduced oxygen transport. The severity of these effects depends on a person's age and any previous or existing medical conditions. However, being exposed to long-term pollution can lead to respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer.
The economic impact of household air pollution is also significant. As air pollution causes illness, the amount of workers able to work has decreased, leading to increased healthcare costs, reduced productivity, and lower crop yields. A study in India found that in 2019, reduced productivity, work absences, and premature deaths caused by air pollution cost the economy $95 billion. These are just some of the many major economic impacts that household air quality can cause.
With household air pollution becoming a severe problem worldwide, many solutions are used to tackle this problem. Ventilation is one of the major solutions to improve indoor air quality as it allows clean airflow indoors. Types of ventilation are natural forms, such as windows, air conditioning, and infiltration. These are all cheap and inexpensive resolutions that can be used to help improve air quality. Air cleaners can also be used as they are highly effective at removing harmful particles or pollutants.
Household air pollution is a serious global problem, posing severe health risks. The widespread use of harmful cooking fuels and poor ventilation are all major contributors to the poor air quality in homes. With countless deaths linked to air pollution, addressing this problem is important. The good news is that improving air quality is both simple and cost-effective.
Citations:
EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/introduction-
indoor-air-quality#health. Accessed 25 Sept. 2024.
“Economy and Air Pollution.” Clean Air Fund, 19 Sept. 2024,
www.cleanairfund.org/theme/economics/#:~:text=In%20India%2C%20reduced%20
productivity%2C%20work,4%25%20of%20its%20annual%20GDP.
“Household Air Pollution.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization,
www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/household-air-pollution-and-health.
Accessed 25 Sept. 2024.
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