Household Air Pollution from Coal and Biomass Fuels in China: Measurements, Health Impacts, and Interventions

Abstract

ObjectiveNearly all China’s rural residents and a shrinking fraction of urban residents use solid fuels (biomass and coal) for household cooking and/or heating. Consequently, global meta-analyses of epidemiologic studies indicate that indoor air pollution from solid fuel use in China is responsible for approximately 420,000 premature deaths annually, more than the approximately 300,000 attributed to urban outdoor air pollution in the country. Our objective in this review was to help elucidate the extent of this indoor air pollution health hazard.Data sourcesWe reviewed approximately 200 publications in both Chinese- and English-language journals that reported health effects, exposure characteristics, and fuel/stove intervention options.ConclusionsObserved health effects include respiratory illnesses, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, weakening of the immune system, and reduction in lung function. Arsenic poisoning and fluorosis resulting from the use of “poisonous” coal have been observed in certain regions of China. Although attempts have been made in a few studies to identify specific coal smoke constituents responsible for specific adverse health effects, the majority of indoor air measurements include those of only particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and/or nitrogen dioxide. These measurements indicate that pollution levels in households using solid fuel generally exceed China’s indoor air quality standards. Intervention technologies ranging from simply adding a chimney to the more complex modernized bioenergy program are available, but they can be viable only with coordinated support from the government and the commercial sector.

Acrolein: Sources, metabolism, and biomolecular interactions relevant to human health and disease

“…This finding may thus provide an explanation for the epidemiological observations that smoking or exposure to tobacco smoke increases the incidence of viral, bacterial, and mycobacterial diseases of the lung [138][139][140][141]. Similarly, cooking in poorly ventilated kitchens has been associated with respiratory illnesses, weakening of the immune system, and lung cancer in rural China [142]. It is conceivable that acrolein is co-responsible for these effects.…”

Integrated Furnace for Combustion/Gasification of Biomass Fuel for Tobacco Curing

“…About 4 million tons of coal are used to cure tobacco every year [2]. In recent years, with the frequent occurrence of smog in northern China, air pollution caused by tobacco curing using coal-fired heating has attracted significant attention [3]. The government is therefore encouraging the use of clean energy to develop a lowcarbon economy and green industries, to which the tobacco industry has actively responded [4].…”

Predictors of Drinking Water Boiling and Bottled Water Consumption in Rural China: A Hierarchical Modeling Approach

“…10 Field studies have repeatedly demonstrated boiling's effectiveness with regard to microbiological water quality. 5,11−14 Boiling also has significant drawbacks: after it cools boiled water is susceptible to recontamination, 15 boiling with biomass often produces household air pollution (HAP), exposure to which causes cardiovascular and respiratory disease, 16,17 and the fuels used for boiling can be expensive or time-consuming to collect. 18 Many studies have compared the effectiveness of different variants of HWT technologies; for example, chlorination with and without a coagulant, biosand versus ceramic filters, ceramic filters with and without colloidal silver.…”