Exposure to Wood Smoke and Associated Health Effects in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Observational studies suggest that exposure to wood smoke is associated with a variety of adverse health effects in humans. Objective: We aimed to summarise evidence from sub-Saharan Africa on levels of exposure to pollutants in wood smoke and the association between such exposures and adverse health outcomes. Methods: PubMed and Google scholar databases were searched for original articles reporting personal exposure levels to pollutants or health outcomes associated with wood smoke exposure in Sub-Saharan African population. Results: Mean personal PM 2.5 and carbon monoxide levels in the studies ranged from 26.3 ± 1.48 µg/m 3 to 1574 ± 287µg/m 3 and from 0.64 ± 2.12 ppm to 22 ± 2.4 ppm, respectively. All the reported personal PM 2.5 exposure levels were higher than the World Health Organization's Air Quality Guideline (AQG) for 24-hour mean exposure. Use of wood fuels in domestic cooking is the major source of wood smoke exposure in this population. Occupational exposure to wood smoke included the use of wood fuels in bakery, fish drying, cassava processing and charcoal production. Females were exposed to higher levels of these pollutants than males of the same age range. Major determinants for higher exposure to wood smoke in SSA included use of unprocessed firewood, female gender and occupational exposure. We recorded strong and consistent associations between exposure to wood smoke and respiratory diseases including acute respiratory illness and impaired lung function. Positive associations were reported for increased blood pressure, low birth weight, oesophageal cancer, sick building syndrome, non-syndromic cleft lip and/or cleft palate and under-five mortality. Conclusion:There is high level of exposure to wood smoke in SSA and this exposure is associated with a number of adverse health effects. There is urgent need for aggressive programs to reduce wood smoke exposure in this population.

Exposure to Air Pollution in Rural Malawi: Impact of Cooking Methods on Blood Pressure and Peak Expiratory Flow

“…Emissions from biomass fuel are widely recognised as a major health concern and have been associated extensively with pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases [ 7 , 32 ]. Our study observed breathing difficulties amongst the participants, with some participants indicating more difficulties when cooking with wood, which is consistent with research on a larger population sample in Malawi [ 33 ].…”

Factores maternos asociados al peso del recién nacido en una IPS de Medellín, Colombia, 2018

“…Para Colombia, existe un gran reto en términos de formulación de estrategias e intervenciones para reducir la exposición al humo de tabaco y al humo de leña en favor de la salud materna e infantil (25), pues la evidencia científica es contundente frente a los beneficios de un ambiente libre de humo. En Inglaterra, este tipo de medidas logró un impacto beneficioso estimado inmediato en los resultados de los nacimientos en general (26).…”

High Levels of Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) Concentrations from Burning Solid Fuels in Rural Households of Butajira, Ethiopia

“…Exposure to household air pollution in adults has been associated with various diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, cancers of the lungs and nasopharynx, stroke, ischemic heart diseases and diseases of the eye [ 1 , 3 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. It is also associated with low birth weight and, of particular concern, acute lower respiratory infections such as pneumonia among children less than five years of age [ 1 , 4 , 11 , 12 ]. In total, nearly four million premature deaths per year from illnesses attributable to household air pollution are reported globally [ 1 ].…”

“…High indoor PM 2.5 concentration is still a problem in various parts of the world [ 14 ], far exceeding the given limits in countries where a large proportion of the population depends on solid fuel use for cooking and heating [ 15 ]. Together with the population growth in the Sub-Saharan Africa region [ 16 ], the problem of household air pollution and related health problems, including the negative association of this with life expectancy in the long term [ 17 ], puts Sub-Saharan Africa singularly at a higher risk, when compared with other parts of the world [ 12 , 18 ].…”