THE alarming rates of respiratory illnesses in the developing world would be
drastically cut if families adopted cleaner-burning stoves and fuels.
Switching to cheap, less polluting stoves and fuels such as charcoal would
slash exposure to indoor smoke by up to 90 per cent, says Daniel Kammen of the
University of California, Berkeley.
Nearly 2 billion people worldwide rely on fuels such as wood, charcoal and
dung to cook meals and heat their homes. Women cook in unventilated rooms over
stoves made of a few rocks or a metal can. Inhaling tiny particles in the smoke
called PM10s makes them…
