Household air pollution linked to chronic diseases in pregnant women, children - Health expert

Kweku Poku Asante, a clinical epidemiologist and Director of the Kintampo Research Center within the Ghana Health Service’s Research and Development division, has highlighted the health risks associated with using firewood and other solid fuels for cooking.

He noted that the smoke from these fuels can adversely affect blood vessels and potentially lead to some chronic diseases such as hypertension.

In an interview with gbcghanaonline.com, he pointed out that research on households using biomass for cooking reveals a correlation between household air pollution—such as smoke from cooking with biomass—and an increased risk of non-communicable diseases.

He also emphasized that pregnant women who cook with solid fuels face heightened risks of developing high blood pressure.

“Exposure to carbon monoxide, particularly during the last trimester of pregnancy, can lead to impaired lung function in children. Additionally, we observed that these children often suffer from poor growth, which can increase the risk of developing hypertension and other chronic diseases,” he said.

He advised pregnant women to avoid using biomass fuels to prevent household pollution and protect both their health and the health of their unborn babies.

Kweku Opoku Asante stressed that early-onset hypertension in children, if left unmanaged, could predispose them to non-communicable diseases later in life.

He encouraged the public, especially pregnant women, to use LPGs (liquefied petroleum gases) as a cleaner alternative to reduce these health risks.

According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 2.3 billion people still rely on solid fuels (such as wood, crop waste, charcoal, coal, and dung) and kerosene for cooking using open fires and inefficient stoves.

Most of these individuals are poor and live in low- and middle-income countries. There is a significant disparity in access to cleaner cooking alternatives between urban and rural areas; in 2021, only 14% of people in urban areas used polluting fuels, compared to 49% of the global rural population.

Household air pollution from inefficient and polluting fuels and technologies includes a range of health-damaging pollutants, including fine particles that penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream.

In poorly ventilated homes, indoor smoke can contain fine particles at levels 100 times higher than acceptable limits.

Women and children, who spend the most time near the cooking area, are particularly vulnerable to these health risks. Reliance on polluting fuels also requires substantial time for cooking on inefficient devices and for gathering and preparing fuel.

JKB/AE

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