Introduction
Almost 50 % of people in developing nations rely on coal and biomass for home energy in the form of dung, wood, and agricultural wastes. Usually, very little combustion occurs when these materials are burned in primitive stoves. So, daily exposure to high levels of indoor air pollution is a problem for mothers and young children. Indoor air pollution, leading to acute respiratory infections and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stands as the primary cause of mortality among children under the age of five in developing nations. There is also evidence that indoor air pollution raises the risk of these conditions.
What Is Indoor Air Pollution?
Indoor air pollution is defined as the deterioration of indoor air quality caused by harmful chemicals and other materials. Indoor air pollution can be up to ten times more harmful than outdoor air pollution as the enclosed areas allow potential pollutants to accumulate more than in open spaces. According to statistics, the health consequences of indoor air pollution far outweigh that of outdoor air pollution in developing countries.
IAQ (indoor air quality) is the term used to describe the air quality within and outside of buildings and other structures, particularly with regard to how it affects the health and comfort of building inhabitants. Health impacts from indoor air pollution may manifest right away or maybe years after exposure.
What Are the Principal Sources of Indoor Air Pollution?
The three main causes of indoor air pollution are bioaerosols, building materials, and combustion. Developing countries are mainly affected by the combustion byproducts of biomass fuels. While pesticides, asbestos, radon, heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, and environmental tobacco smoke are all regarded as serious indoor pollutants in developed countries.
The primary source of indoor air quality issues is pollution from sources that emit gases or particles into the air. Inadequate ventilation can elevate indoor pollutant levels by failing to bring in enough outside air to dilute emissions from indoor sources and failing to transport indoor air pollutants out of the area. Elevated temperatures and humidity levels can contribute to increased concentrations of pollutants.
What Are the Health Effects of Indoor Air Pollution?
The contaminants in indoor air could have negative health impacts. The particulates cause COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), chronic bronchitis, and respiratory infections. They also exacerbate COPD. Nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide aggravate asthma and induce wheezing. Moreover, nitrogen dioxide damages lung function and brings in respiratory illnesses.
Immediate Effects:
Some health effects associated with indoor air pollution may appear soon after a single exposure to a pollutant or after repeated exposures. Indoor air pollution can result in short-term effects like eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches, fatigue, and dizziness, which are generally manageable and treatable. Such short-term effects associated with indoor air pollution are usually treatable.
Certain immediate effects associated with indoor air pollution are similar to those of colds or other viral diseases, making it difficult to determine whether the symptoms are the result of indoor air pollution exposure. As a result, it is critical to pay attention to when and where symptoms occur. If the symptoms fade or disappear when a person leaves the area, then an effort should be made to identify possible indoor air sources.
Long-Term Effects:
Additional health impacts associated with indoor air pollution may manifest years after exposure, only after prolonged or recurrent exposure, or both. These side effects, including cancer, heart disease, and certain respiratory illnesses, can be fatal. While contaminants that are frequently present in indoor air might have a variety of negative impacts, it is unclear in what quantities or for how long certain health issues will manifest.
What Are the Public Health Issues Related to Indoor Air Pollution in Developing Countries?
In developing countries, indoor air pollution accounts for 6 % of all deaths. Indoor combustion of solid fuel for heating and cooking causes this type of pollution. As many developing countries lack access to clean cooking technology, they rely heavily on solid fuels for cooking. Only about 60 % of the world's population has access to clean fuels and technology. Although the statistic is slowly rising, indoor pollution is still responsible for 1.6 million deaths each year in developing countries.
According to the World Health Report (WHR) 2002, exposure to indoor air pollution causes approximately 36 % of acute lower respiratory infections, 22 % of COPD, and 1.5 % of cancers of the lung, trachea, and bronchus. There is evidence that coal consumption is directly related to lung cancer, low birth weight, pulmonary tuberculosis, increased neonatal mortality, nasopharyngeal and laryngeal cancer, and cataract.
What Measures Can Be Taken to Reduce Indoor Air Pollution?
-
Creating Public Awareness - One of the most important steps in preventing indoor air pollution is education, or informing people about the problem and the serious threat it poses to their health and well-being. Also, the usage of alternate, cleaner energy sources should be made known to the public as a viable alternative to the direct combustion of biomass fuel.
-
Improved Ventilation - The need for proper ventilation should be considered while building a home. For inadequately ventilated homes, interventions such as a window over the stove and cross ventilation between doors should be used.
-
Changes in Fuel Usage Patterns - Fuel use is influenced by habit, accessibility, and affordability. Since it is the cheapest and simplest option available to the general population, the majority of low-income families use direct combustion of biomass fuels for their cooking needs. However, this situation could be changed by encouraging the use of cleaner energy sources.
-
Modification of Cooking Stove Design - The design of cooking stoves should be changed from conventional, leaky, smoke-filled stoves to more energy-efficient, smokeless stoves with an outlet for indoor pollutants.
-
Intersectoral Coordination - Controlling indoor air pollution requires coordinated and committed efforts from various sectors concerned with energy, health, the environment, rural development, and housing.
Conclusion
The health of the world's most impoverished and vulnerable populations is severely jeopardized by indoor air pollution, which can significantly contribute to the global burden of illness. Acute lower respiratory infections in children are the main cause of this burden. Effective interventions, starting with education, change in fuel patterns, right designing of stoves and buildings, to a committed and determined intersectoral collaboration towards the promotion of public health is needed to reduce the impacts of indoor air pollution in developing countries.
