GLOBAL HEALTH
Open fire cooking is a leading cause of death globally
Through dangerous indoor air pollution, open fire cooking claims the lives of approximately 3.8 million people each year. Among the leading causes of death globally, this ranks higher than the number of annual deaths due to malaria, HIV/AIDS, or tuberculosis.
People in developing and newly industrialized countries are most impacted by this issue. According to the National Institute of Health, indoor air pollution is the only health risk factor that almost exclusively impacts the world’s poorest communities.
Traditional three stone fires are not able to fully burn fuel, causing toxic gas and other waste products to be emitted as a byproduct. This is known as incomplete combustion, and the gases that result include: carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde, acrolein, benzene, methane and methanol. These small particle pollutants penetrate deep into the lungs, causing permanent damage.
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A worldwide study demonstrated that in homes with open fire cookstoves, the average concentration of such small particle pollutants can exceed 200 times the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended maximum daily average.