One in three people worldwide is at risk of ill health from household air pollution

Household air pollution—caused by burning biomass (solid fuel derived from plant material) or coal for cooking, heating, or lighting—puts more than one in three people worldwide at risk of ill health and early death, a commission has found.

Led by Stephen Gordon from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom, the commission reviewed evidence for the link between household air pollution and respiratory infections, respiratory tract cancers, and chronic lung diseases. The researchers found that household air pollution puts an estimated 600-800 million families worldwide at increased risk of illnesses such as respiratory …