Publication

This paper examines why, in many rural areas of developing countries, indoor air pollution is an even more serious health problem than outdoor air pollution. The authors detail how long-term exposure to smoke from cooking indoors with wood, animal dung and other biomass fuels contributes to respiratory illness, lung cancer and blindness. The paper states that governments can do more to promote clean fuel use, educate people to the risks of indoor smoke, and provide and promote more efficient and better-ventilated cooking stoves. The authors explain that curbing indoor air pollution is not only essential for improving general health conditions, but also an important investment for achieving development goals and improving living standards.