Addressing the Impact of Household Energy and Indoor Air Pollution on the Health of the Poor: Implications for Policy Action and Intervention Measures
| By | Y. von Schirnding, N. Bruce, K. Smith, G. Ballard-Tremeer, M. Ezzati, K. Lvovsky |
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| Description | More than two billion of the worlds poorest people still rely on biomass (wood, charcoal, animal dung, crop wastes) and coal-burning for household energy needs. Use of these fuels indoors leads to levels of indoor air pollution many times higher than international ambient air quality standards allow for, exposing poor women and children on a daily basis to a major public health hazard. This exposure increases the risk of important diseases including pneumonia, chronic respiratory disease and lung cancer (coal only), and is estimated to account for a substantial proportion of the global burden of disease in developing countries. Evidence is also emerging that exposure may increase the risk of a number of other important conditions, including TB, low birth weight, and cataract. Other important direct health impacts from household energy use among the poor include burns to children and injuries to women from carrying wood. Furthermore, a range of inter-related quality of life, economic and environmental consequences of household energy use impact on health through such factors as the time women spend collecting scarce fuel, and restrictions on educational and economic activity. A wide range of interventions can reduce the impact of indoor air pollution. These include changes to the source (improved stoves, cleaner fuels), living environment (better ventilation) and user behaviour (keeping children away from smoke during peak cooking times). These can be delivered through policies operating at national level (supply and distribution of improved stoves/cleaner fuels) and local level (through community development). Experience to date shows that successful implementation requires participation by local people (particularly women), collaboration between sectors with responsibility for health, energy, environment, housing, planning etc., and with an emphasis on market sustainability. Initial studies suggest that indoor air pollution interventions perform favourably in terms of cost-effectiveness, with, for example, an improved stove programme costing US$ 50-100 per DALY saved. Although additional evidence on health risk is required, concerted global action is needed now to implement cost-effective interventions which can deliver substantial health benefits to the poor, and contribute to sustainable development. Full ReferencePaper Prepared for the Commission on Macroeconomics and Health (Working group 5 : Improving Health Outcomes of the Poor), Y. von Schirnding, WHO, Geneva, N. Bruce, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom, K. Smith, University of California, Berkeley, USA, G. Ballard-Tremeer, Eco Ltd, United Kingdom, M. Ezzati, WHO, K. Lvovsky, World Bank, 2002 |
| File size | 601 kB |
| Date | 07-08-2003 at 17h19 |