Health Effects of Indoor Air Pollution form Biomass Fuel Combustion among Women and
Children in Rural Bangladesh
Faruque Parvez1,*, Habibul Ahsan2 , Patrick Kinney1, Regina M. Santella1
1
Department of Environmental Health Science and 2Department of Epidemiology, Mailman
School of Public Health Columbia University, New York. New York 10032, USA
Abstract
About 3 billion people worldwide use biomass fuel (wood, charcoal, agricultural residues
and dung, etc.) for cooking and household energy. Due to incomplete combustion, biomass fuel
produces a number of toxic and carcinogenic elements and particulate matters (PM) that have
been associated with many adverse health effects including acute respiratory illnesses (ARI),
chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), tuberculosis and asthma, especially among
women and children. Pollutants from biomass fuel combustion have also been linked with
adverse pregnancy outcomes, low birth weight and risk for lung cancer. Altogether 3 million
excess deaths and at least 4% disease burden in developing countries are attributed to this.
However, the association between particulate air pollution and health effects based on systematic
research in developing countries has been lacking. In particular, in Bangladesh, where biomass
fuel use and the prevalence of these health conditions are common but very little research has
been done, to date, examining the health effects biomass fuel use.
Recently, we have conducted a pilot project in Bangladesh to assess the exposure of air
pollution from biomass fuel combustion among rural women by measuring fine air particulate
matters (PM2.5) and relating this with biomarkers of cancer risk and also ARI and COPD. We
have collected data on biomass fuel usage, respiratory illness history and personal air monitoring
samples from 72 women for 8 hours during the daytime and measured urinary 1-Hydroxypyrene
(1-HOP), a biomarker for exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH). Our data
show that participating women are exposed to particulate matter in average 857µg/m3--14 times
higher than the country’s outdoor, health-based standard. Longer cooking time was found to be
associated with 1-HOP (r=0.31, p<0.03) concentration in this population suggesting future risk
of developing cancer. Half of the participants reported that at least one person in her family had
a respiratory illness within the past year for which majority (75%) had to visit a qualified
physician.
We will also present data on X-ray and Spirometry data and the future plans for large-
scale research studies to examine the health effects of air pollution on respiratory, reproductive
and child health issue in Bangladesh and other countries.
*Correspondence:
Department of Environment Health Science
Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University.
60 Haven Ave, Room: B-1, New York, NY 10032
Phone: 212-305-4101, Fax: 212-305-3857
E-mail: mp844@columbia.edu.