Household Air Pollution Causes 3.2 Million Premature Deaths Annually, 5 Health Risks You Should Know

Household Air Pollution (HAP) is an indoor pollution caused by the burning of solid fuels such as wood, coal, crop waste, charcoal, and dung.

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HAP releases harmful pollutants that pose serious health risks, inflaming the airways and lungs, impairing the immune response, and reducing the blood's oxygen-carrying capacity.

HAP-related diseases

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 3.2 million people die prematurely each year from illnesses related to HAP.

In the year 2021 itself, about 2.67 billion people of the global population were exposed to HAP from solid cooking fuels, as per The Lancet report.

Assessing data of 204 countries from 1990 to 2021, The Lancet report states that the Household Air Pollution (HAP) burdens attributable to diseases such as:

• Cataract
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Ischaemic heart disease
• Lower respiratory infections
• Tracheal cancer
• Bronchus cancer
• Lung cancer
• Stroke
• Type 2 diabetes

Here's a breakdown of how 3.2 million people die prematurely each year from HAP-related diseases, according to the WHO:

• 32% die from ischaemic heart disease
• 23% die from stroke
• 21% are due to lower respiratory infection
• 19% are from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
• 6% are from lung cancer

How to protect yourself from HAP

Ditching the usage of solid fuel may be impossible, but there are some instances you can try to improve your indoor air quality:

• Ensure to open the ventilation and windows, and even turn on the exhaust fan whenever required
• Use an air purifier
• Limit the usage of solid fuels
• Consider increasing houseplants as it is also a healthy alternative option to purify indoor air pollution