Domestic Fuels, Indoor Air Pollution, and Children's Health The Case of Rural India

Reliance on solid biomass fuel for cooking and heating exposes many children of developing countries to high levels of indoor air pollution. This study investigates the association between household use of biomass fuels for cooking and prevalence of respiratory symptoms and diseases among children in rural India. The air-quality parameters (CO, CO2, NO, NO2, SO2, O-3, suspended particulate matter (SPM), including temperature and relative humidity) were investigated using a YES-Plus multigas air-quality monitor for gaseous and Kimoto handy samplers (HS-7) for TSPM. Seven hundred fifty households and 1505 children were selected for this study. A questionnaire developed on the pattern of the the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IUATLD) with some modifications were used for evaluation of respiratory health. The lung function parameters, namely, PEF, FVC, FEV1, FEF, and SVC were examined on an electronic Spiro Meter (Maestro Medline Ltd.). Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of suffering from respiratory infections among children from households using biomass fuels relative to children from households using liquified petroleum gas (LPG), after controlling for potentially confounding factors. The study suggests that exposure to cooking smoke from biomass combustion is significantly associated with decline in lung function and prevalence of doctor-diagnosed asthma (OR = 2.20; 95% CI: 1.16, 4.19) and other respiratory diseases.