Open fires, dirty air and respiratory diseases : examining health costs from indoor air pollution in Nepal

Abstract

A SANDEE report from Nepal looks at an environmental and social problem that has long plagued rural communities in the country – the health impact of indoor air pollution (IAP) caused by cooking fires. The study finds that, although most poor people accept indoor air pollution as a ‘fact of life’, it is, in truth, a very significant health problem, especially for women and children. The study also finds that relatively simple solutions such as improved cooking stoves (ICS) and the use of clean fuels such as biogas can reduce levels of indoor air pollution and significantly improve people’s health. An assessment of the costs and benefits of these solutions show that there is a very strong economic rationale for adopting them in preference to traditional fuels such as wood. Both biogas and improved cooking stoves provide benefits far in excess of their relatively small costs. It is clear that if rural health policy is to be effective, more work needs to be done to highlight the dangers of indoor air pollution and to promote the economic savings and health benefits that ‘clean’ cooking technology can bring.