Title: Indoor air pollution: types of cooking fuel used and its impact on the health of women in Aligarh city

Authors: Abha Lakshmi Singh, Saleha Jamal

Addresses: Department of Geography, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. ' Department of Geography, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract: Available findings have indicated that indoor air is more polluted than outdoor air and major polluting activity has been attributed to household cooking with traditional fuels. Cooking with traditional fuels leads to high levels of indoor air pollution (IAP), exposure of which increases the risk of various health problems. The purpose of this study is to estimate various diseases attributable to IAP in adult women who are highly exposed because of their household roles. This study is based on primary sources of data collected through questionnaire interviews with women respondents belonging to different income categories from Aligarh city. The study investigates the major socio-economic factors. Exposure to indoor air pollutants was monitored with handy samplers. The major health problems and diseases associated with IAP as reported by respondents were skin burns/irritation, headache, lower respiratory infection, upper respiratory infection, asthma/tuberculosis, low birth weight, still birth, eye infection and lung cancer.

Keywords: indoor air pollution; traditional fuels; chulhas; respiratory diseases; indoor air monitoring; air quality; cooking fuel; female health; adult women; household cooking; socio-economic factors; India; health problems; diseases.

DOI: 10.1504/IJENVH.2011.041328

International Journal of Environment and Health, 2011 Vol.5 No.3, pp.205 - 220

Received: 14 Jul 2010
Accepted: 03 Dec 2010
Published online: 16 Jul 2011 *

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