Biomass Energy and Health

Burning of biomass emits many different products due to incomplete combustion. These include fine particles, carbon monoxide, as well as toxic and carcinogenic gases such as Formaldehyde, Acrolein, Benzene, Toluene, styrene, 1,3-Butadiene and polyaromatic hydrocarbons(PAH). More than 90 percent of particles emitted from combustion of wood and dung are fine particles that are less than 1 micron in diameter ( ). These fine particles can remain suspended in the air for long time and can reach deep inside the lungs when they are inhaled. Therefore kitchen smoke is in essence a toxic cocktail of chemicals and pollutants that can be very harmful to the human body. Many studies have shown that indoor air pollution (IAP) is a major factor associated with acute respiratory infections (ARI) in developing countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that indoor air pollution is responsible for 2.7 percent of global burden of diseases and 1.6 million deaths per year. In developing countries it is the fourth leading cause of death per year. The most common associated diseases with indoor air pollution are respiratory diseases such as lower respiratory infections among children and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among women. Children exposed to indoor smoke are more than twice as likely to suffer from pneumonia as unexposed children and women exposed to indoor smoke are more than three times as likely to suffer from COPD as women not exposed. Other possible health impacts include lung cancer, tuberculosis, cataract, asthma, low birth weight, prenatal mortality and cardiovascular diseases. Few studies conducted in Nepal have found very high levels of indoor air pollution in houses with traditional stoves using solid biomass fuel. A study conducted by the Nepal Health Research Council found the concentrations of particulates matter less than 10 microns in diameter ( ) kitchens using solid biomass fuel was 2,418g/ (NHRC,2004). This was approximately three times higher than the concentrations found in kitchen using processed fuels (such as biogas, LPG) and more than the national standard for ambient air quality, which 120g/ . WHO guideline value for in ambient air is only 20g/ . Surendra bam surendra_bam777@yahoo.com