Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Indoor Biomass Burning and Health Consequences

  • Chapter
Air Pollution and Health Effects

Part of the book series: Molecular and Integrative Toxicology ((MOLECUL))

Abstract

Inefficient cooking with biomass fuels in poorly ventilated homes is a major source of exposure to indoor air pollution in developing countries. Household air pollution from cooking and heating with biomass fuels also is an important contributor to outdoor air pollution. The combustion of wood and other biomass is qualitatively similar to the burning of tobacco in terms of emissions of particulate matter and gases, and the mechanisms by which biomass smoke causes adverse health effects in humans are likely similar to those involved in tobacco smoke-induced disease processes. The public health impact of domestic cooking with biomass is great. The 2010 Global Burden of Disease comparative risk assessment found household air pollution from solid fuel (biomass and coal) use to be responsible for approximately 4.8 % of the total disability-adjusted life years and 3.9 million premature deaths per year. Household air pollution ranked third on the examined list of risk factors globally and was the most important environmental risk factor. The estimates are based on the strength of the evidence, primarily meta-analyses of epidemiological studies of acceptable scientific quality, although for cardiovascular disease the evidence is more inferential. The greatest burden of household air pollution–related premature deaths is in children with pneumonia exposed to biomass smoke. The greatest burden in adults is for cardiovascular disease, but for non-smoking women, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an important cause of disability and death. Household air pollution also contributes to the burden of cataracts, the leading cause of blindness, and lung cancer, especially among women. Research gaps and opportunities for interventions to reduce impacts of biomass smoke on public health are identified.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abusalah A, Gavana M, Haidich AB et al (2011) Low birth weight and prenatal exposure to indoor pollution from tobacco smoke and wood fuel smoke: a matched case–control study in Gaza Strip. Matern Child Health J 16:1718–1727

    Google Scholar 

  • Addo-Yobo E, Woodcock A et al (2007) Exercise-induced bronchospasm and atopy in Ghana: two surveys ten years apart. PLoS Med 4:355–360

    Google Scholar 

  • Agrawal S (2012) Effect of indoor air pollution from biomass and solid fuel combustion on prevalence of self-reported asthma among adult men and women in India: findings from a nationwide large-scale cross-sectional survey. J Asthma 49:355–365

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Akhtar T, Ullah Z, Khan MH et al (2007) Chronic bronchitis in women using solid biomass fuel in rural Peshawar, Pakistan. Chest 132:1472–1475

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Albalak R, Frisancho AR, Keeler GJ (1999) Domestic biomass fuel combustion and chronic bronchitis in two rural Bolivian villages. Thorax 54:1004–1008

    PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Armstrong JR, Campbell H (2009) Indoor air pollution exposure and lower respiratory infections in young Gambian children. Int J Epidemiol 20:424–429

    Google Scholar 

  • Balakrishnan K, Ghosh S, Ganguli B et al (2013) State and national household concentrations of PM2.5 from solid cookfuel use: results from measurements and modeling in India for estimation of the global burden of disease. Environ Health 12:77

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Balmes JR (2010) When smoke gets in your lungs. Proc Am Thorac Soc 7:98–101

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barregard L, Sällsten G, Andersson L et al (2008) Experimental exposure to wood smoke: effects on airway inflammation and oxidative stress. Occup Environ Med 65:319–324

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barry AC, Mannino DM, Hopenhayn C, Bush H (2010) Exposure to indoor biomass fuel pollutants and asthma prevalence in Southeastern Kentucky: results from the Burden of Lung Disease (BOLD) study. J Asthma 47:735–741

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baumgartner J, Schauer JJ, Ezzati M et al (2011) Indoor air pollution and blood pressure in adult women living in rural China. Environ Health Perspect 119:1390–1395

    PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Behera D, Chakrabarti T et al (2001) Effect of exposure to domestic cooking fuels on bronchial asthma. Indian J Chest Dis Allied Sci 43:27–31

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boy E, Bruce N, Delgado H (2002) Birth weight and exposure to kitchen wood smoke during pregnancy in rural Guatemala. Environ Health Perspect 10:109–114

    Google Scholar 

  • Bruce N, Perez-Padilla R, Albalak R (2000) Indoor air pollution in developing countries: a major environmental and public health challenge. Bull World Health Organ 78:1078–1092

    PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Burnett RT, Pope CA 3rd, Ezzati M et al (2014) An integrated risk function for estimating the global burden of disease attributable to ambient fine particulate matter exposure. Environ Health Perspect 122:397–403

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Caballero A, Torres-Duque CA, Jaramillo C et al (2008) Prevalence of COPD in five Colombian cities situated at low, medium, and high altitude (PREPOCOL study). Chest 133:343–349

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chapman RS, He X, Blair AE et al (2005) Improvement in household stoves and risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Xuanwei, China: retrospective cohort study. BMJ 331:1050–1055

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dennis RJ, Maldonado D, Norman S et al (1996) Woodsmoke exposure and risk for obstructive airways disease among women. Chest 109:115–119

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dherani M, Pope D, Mascarenhas M et al (2008) Indoor air pollution from unprocessed solid fuel use and pneumonia risk in children aged under five years: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Bull World Health Organ 86:390–398C

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Diette GB, Accinelli RA, Balmes JR et al (2012) Obstructive lung disease and exposure to burning biomass fuel in the indoor environment. Glob Heart 7:265–270

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dockery DW, Pope CA III, Xu X, Spengler JD, Ware JH, Fay ME et al (1993) An association between air pollution and mortality in six U.S. cities. N Engl J Med 329:1753–1759

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dossing M, Khan J, al-Rabiah F (1994) Risk factors for chronic obstructive lung disease in Saudi Arabia. Respir Med 88:519–522

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dutt D, Srinivasa DK, Rotti SB et al (1996) Effect of indoor air pollution on the respiratory system of women using different fuels for cooking in an urban slum of Pondicherry. Natl Med J India 9:113–117

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dutta A, Bhattacharya P, Lahiri T, Ray MR (2012) Immune cells and cardiovascular health in premenopausal women of rural India chronically exposed to biomass smoke during daily household cooking. Sci Total Environ 438:293–298

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ege M, Mayer M et al (2011) Exposure to environmental microorganisms and childhood asthma. N Engl J Med 364:701–709

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eisner MD, Anthonisen N, Coultas D et al (2010) An official American Thoracic Society public policy statement: Novel risk factors and the global burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 82:693–718

    Google Scholar 

  • Ekici A, Ekici M, Kurtipek E et al (2005) Obstructive airway diseases in women exposed to biomass smoke. Environ Res 99:93–98

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ellegard A (1996) Cooking fuel smoke and respiratory symptoms among women in low-income areas in Maputo. Environ Health Perspect 104:980–985

    PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ezzati M, Kammen DM (2001) Quantifying the effects of exposure to indoor air pollution from biomass combustion on acute respiratory infections in developing countries. Environ Health Perspect 109:481–488

    PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fagbule D, Ekanem E (1994) Some environmental risk factors for childhood asthma: a case-control study. Ann Trop Paediatr 14:15–19

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fick RB Jr, Paul ES, Merrill WW et al (1984) Alterations in the antibacterial properties of rabbit pulmonary macrophages exposed to wood smoke. Am Rev Respir Dis 129:76–81

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Forchhammer L, Møller P, Riddervold IS et al (2012) Controlled human wood smoke exposure: oxidative stress, inflammation and microvascular function. Part Fibre Toxicol 9:7

    PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves (2014) Washington, DC http://www.cleancookstoves.org/the-alliance/. Accessed 26 Jan 2014

  • Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease. Global strategy for diagnosis, management, and prevention of COPD. http://www.goldcopd.org/Guidelines/guidelines-resources.html Accessed 20 Jan 2014

  • Golshan M, Faghihi M (2002) Indoor women jobs and pulmonary risks in rural areas of Isfahan, Iran. Respir Med 96:382–388

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Guarnieri MJ, Diaz JV, Basu C et al (2014) Effects of woodsmoke exposure on airway inflammation in rural Guatemalan women. PLoS One 9:e88455

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hosgood HD 3rd, Wei H, Sapkota A et al (2011) Household coal use and lung cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis of case control studies, with emphasis on geographic variation. Int J Epidemiol 40:719–728

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hu G, Zhou Y, Tian J et al (2010) Risk of COPD from exposure to biomass smoke: a metaanalysis. Chest 138:20–31

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • International Agency for Research on Cancer (2010) Household use of solid fuels and high-temperature frying: evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans. International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacobson MZ (2001) Strong radiative heating due to the mixing state of black carbon in atmospheric aerosols. Nature 409:695–697

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kiraz K, Kart L, Demir R et al (2003) Chronic pulmonary disease in rural women exposed to biomass fumes. Clin Invest Med 26:243–248

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kurmi OP, Semple S, Simkhada P et al (2010) COPD and chronic bronchitis risk of indoor air pollution from solid fuel: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Thorax 65:221–228

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kurmi OP, Arya PH, Lam KB et al (2012) Lung cancer risk of solid fuel smoke exposure: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur Respir J 40:1228–1237

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Laden F, Schwartz J, Speizer FE, Dockery DW (2006) Reduction in fine particulate air pollution and mortality: extended follow-up of the Harvard Six Cities Study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 173:667–672

    PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lee MS, Hang JQ, Zhang FY et al (2012) In-home solid fuel use and cardiovascular disease: a cross-sectional analysis of the Shanghai Putuo study. Environ Heal 11:18

    Google Scholar 

  • Levesqu B, Allaire S, Gauvin D et al (2001) Wood-burning appliances and indoor air quality. Sci Total Environ 281:47–62

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lim SS, Vos T, Flaxman AD et al (2012) A comparative risk assessment of burden of disease and injury attributable to 67 risk factors and risk factor clusters in 21 regions, 1990–2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet 380(9859):2224–2260

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lin H-H, Ezzati M, Murray M (2007) Tobacco smoke, indoor air pollution and tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS Med 4(1):e20

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lissowska J, Bardin-Mikolajczak A, Fletcher T et al (2005) Lung cancer and indoor pollution from heating and cooking with solid fuels: the IARC International Multicenter Case-control Study in Eastern/Central Europe and the United Kingdom. Am J Epidemiol 162:326–333

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lozano R, Naghavi M, Foreman K et al (2012) Global and regional mortality from 235 causes of death for 20 age groups in 1990 and 2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet 380(9859):2095–2128

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mavalankar DV, Gray RH, Trivedi CR (1992) Risk factors for preterm and term low birth weight in Ahmedabad, India. Int J Epidemiol 21:263–272

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McCracken JP, Smith KR, Mittleman M et al (2007) Chimney stove intervention to reduce long-term woodsmoke exposure lowers blood pressure among Guatemalan women. Environ Health Perspect 115:996–1001

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McCracken J, Smith K, Stone P et al (2011) Intervention to lower household woodsmoke exposure in Guatemala reduces ST-segment depression on electrocardiograms. Environ Health Perspect 119:1562–1568

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Melsom T, Brinch L et al (2001) Asthma and indoor environment in Nepal. Thorax 56:477–481

    PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Menezes AM, Victora CG, Rigatto M (1994) Prevalence and risk factors for chronic bronchitis in Pelotas, RS, Brazil: a population-based study. Thorax 49:1217–1221

    PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Migliaccio CT, Mauderly JL (2010) Biomass smoke exposures: toxicology and animal study design. Inhal Toxicol 22:104–107

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Migliaccio CT, Kobos E, King QO et al (2013) Adverse effects of wood smoke PM(2.5) exposure on macrophage functions. Inhal Toxicol 25:67–76

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Miller KA, Siscovick DS, Sheppard L, Shepherd K, Sullivan JH, Anderson GL et al (2007) Longterm exposure to air pollution and incidence of cardiovascular events in women. N Engl J Med 356:447–458

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mishra V (2003) Effect of indoor air pollution from biomass combustion on prevalence of asthma in the elderly. Environ Health Perspect 111:71–78

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mishra V, Dai X, Smith KR et al (2004) Maternal exposure to biomass smoke and reduced birth weight in Zimbabwe. Ann Epidemiol 14:740–747

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Murray CJ, Vos T, Lozano R et al (2012) Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for 291 diseases and injuries in 21 regions, 1990–2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. Lancet 380(9859):2197–2223

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nair H, Simões EA, Rudan I et al (2013) Global and regional burden of hospital admissions for severe acute lower respiratory infections in young children in 2010: a systematic analysis. Lancet 381(9875):1380–1390

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Noorhassim I, Rampal K et al (1995) The relationship between prevalence of asthma and environmental factors in rural households. Med J Malaysia 50:263–267

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Orozco-Levi M, Garcia-Aymerich J, Villar J et al (2006) Wood smoke exposure and risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Eur Respir J 27:542–546

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Perez-Padilla R, Regalado J, Vedal S et al (2006) Exposure to biomass smoke and chronic airway disease in Mexican women. A case-control study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 154:701–706

    Google Scholar 

  • Po J, FitzGerald J, Carlsten C (2011) Respiratory disease associated with solid biomass fuel exposure in rural women and children: systematic review and meta-analysis. Thorax 66:232–239

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pokhrel AK, Bates MN et al (2010) Tuberculosis and indoor biomass and kerosene use in Nepal: a case–control study. Environ Health Perspect 118:558–564

    PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pokhrel AK, Bates MN, Shrestha SP et al (2013) Biomass stoves and lens opacity and cataract in Nepalese women. Optom Vis Sci 90:257–268

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pope CA III, Thun MJ, Namboodiri MM, Dockery DW, Evans JS, Speizer FE et al (1995) Particulate air pollution as a predictor of mortality in a prospective study of U.S. adults. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 151:669–674

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pope CA III, Burnett RT, Thun MJ, Calle EE, Krewski D, Ito K et al (2002) Lung cancer, cardiopulmonary mortality, and long-term exposure to fine particulate air pollution. JAMA 287:1132–1141

    PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pope CA III, Burnett RT, Thurston GD, Thun MJ, Calle EE, Krewski D et al (2004) Cardiovascular mortality and long-term exposure to particulate air pollution: epidemiological evidence of general pathophysiological pathways of disease. Circulation 109:71–77

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pope CA 3rd, Burnett RT, Krewski D et al (2009) Cardiovascular mortality and exposure to airborne fine particulate matter and cigarette smoke: shape of the exposure-response relationship. Circulation 120:941–948

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pope DP, Mishra V, Thompson L et al (2010) Risk of low birth weight and stillbirth associated with indoor air pollution from solid fuel use in developing countries. Epidemiol Rev 32:70–81

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Qureshi KA (1994) Domestic smoke pollution and prevalence of chronic bronchitis/asthma in a rural area of Kashmir. Indian J Chest Dis Allied Sci 36:61–72

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ramirez-Venegas A, Sansores RH, PĂ©rez-Padilla R et al (2006) Survival of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to biomass smoke and tobacco. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 173:393–397

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Regalado J, PĂ©rez-Padilla R, Sansores R et al (2006) The effect of biomass burning on respiratory symptoms and lung function in rural Mexican women. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 174:901–905

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Riddervold IS, Bønløkke JH, Olin AC et al (2012) Effects of wood smoke particles from wood-burning stoves on the respiratory health of atopic humans. Part Fibre Toxicol 9:12

    PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Romieu I, Riojas-RodrĂ­guez H, MarrĂłn-Mares AT et al (2009) Improved biomass stove intervention in rural Mexico: impact on the respiratory health of women. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 180:649–656

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rylance J, Gordon SB, Naeher LP et al (2013) Household air pollution: a call for studies into biomarkers of exposure and predictors of respiratory disease. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 304:L571–578

    PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Saha A, Rao NM, Kulkarni PK et al (2005) Pulmonary function and fuel use: a population survey. Respir Res 6:127

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sehlstedt M, Dove R, Boman C et al (2010) Antioxidant airway responses following experimental exposure to wood smoke in man. Part Fibre Toxicol 7:21

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sezer H, Akkurt I, Guler N et al (2006) A case–control study on the effect of exposure to different substances on the development of COPD. Ann Epidemiol 16:59–62

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shen M, Chapman RS et al (2009) Coal use, stove improvement and adult pneumonia mortality in Xuanwei, China: a retrospective cohort study. Environ Health Perspect 117:261–266

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Siddiqui AR, Gold EB, Yang X et al (2008) Prenatal exposure to wood fuel smoke and low birth weight. Environ Health Perspect 116:543–549

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Slama K, Chiang CY et al (2010) Indoor solid fuel combustion and tuberculosis: is there an association? Int J Tuberc Lung Dis 14:6–14

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smith KR, Peel JL (2010) Mind the gap. Environ Health Perspect 118:1643–1645

    PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smith KR, McCracken JP, Weber MW et al (2011) Effect of reduction in household air pollution on childhood pneumonia in Guatemala (RESPIRE): a randomised controlled trial. Lancet 378:1717–1726

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smith KR, Frumkin H, Butler CD, Chafe Z et al (2013) Energy and human health. Annu Rev Public Health 34:1–30

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith KR, Bruce N, Balakrishnan K et al (2014) Millions dead: how do we know and what does it mean? Methods used in the comparative risk assessment of household air pollution. Annu Rev Public Health 35:185–206

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smith-Sivertsen T, DĂ­az E, Pope D et al (2009) Effect of reducing indoor air pollution on women’s respiratory symptoms and lung function: the RESPIRE Randomized Trial, Guatemala. Am J Epidemiol 170:211–220

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stockfelt L, Sallsten G, Olin AC et al (2012) Effects on airways of short-term exposure to two kinds of wood smoke in a chamber study of healthy humans. Inhal Toxicol 24:47–59

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stockfelt L, Sallsten G, Almerud P et al (2013) Short-term chamber exposure to low doses of two kinds of wood smoke does not induce systemic inflammation, coagulation or oxidative stress in healthy humans. Inhal Toxicol 25:417–425

    PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sumpter C, Chandramohan D (2013) Systematic review and meta-analysis of the associations between indoor air pollution and tuberculosis. Trop Med Int Health 18:101–108

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Teo KK, Ounpuu S, Hawken S, Pandey MR, Valentin V, Hunt D et al (2006) Tobacco use and risk of myocardial infarction in 52 countries in the INTERHEART study: a case–control study. Lancet 368:647–658

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thacher JD, Emmelin A, Madaki AJ, Thacher TD (2013) Biomass fuel use and the risk of asthma in Nigerian children. Respir Med 107:1845–1851

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson LM, Bruce N, Eskenazi B et al (2011) Impact of reduced maternal exposures to wood smoke from an introduced chimney stove on newborn birth weight in rural Guatemala. Environ Health Perspect 119:1489–1494

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tielsch JM, Katz J, Thulasiraj RD et al (2009) Exposure to indoor biomass fuel and tobacco smoke and risk of adverse reproductive outcomes, mortality, respiratory morbidity and growth among newborn infants in south India. Int J Epidemiol 38:1351–1363

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Torres-Duque C, Maldonado D, PĂ©rez-Padilla R et al (2008) Biomass fuels and respiratory diseases: a review of the evidence. Proc Am Thorac Soc 5:577–590

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Unosson J, Blomberg A, Sandström T et al (2013) Exposure to wood smoke increases arterial stiffness and decreases heart rate variability in humans. Part Fibre Toxicol 10:20

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2006) The health consequences of involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke: a report of the surgeon general. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta

    Google Scholar 

  • Uzun K, Ozbay B et al (2003) Prevalence of chronic bronchitis-asthma symptoms in biomass fuel exposed females. Environ Health Prev Med 8:13–17

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • van Heyningen R, Pirie A (1976) Naphthalene cataract in pigmented and albino rabbits. Exp Eye Res 22:393–394

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vork K, Broadwin R et al (2007) Developing asthma in childhood from exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke: insights from a meta-regression. Environ Health Perspect 115:1394–1400

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Warwick H, Doig A (2004) Smoke – the killer in the kitchen. ITDG Publishing, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong GW, Brunekreef B, Ellwood P, ISAAC Phase Three Study Group et al (2013) Cooking fuels and prevalence of asthma: a global analysis of phase three of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). Lancet 1:386–394

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization (2006) WHO air quality guidelines: global update for 2005. World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen

    Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization (2009) Quantifying environmental health impacts. Global estimates of burden of disease caused by environmental risks. World Health Organization, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization (2013) Global tuberculosis report 2013. World Health Organization, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu F, Yin X, Shen H et al (2007) Better understanding the influence of cigarette smoking and indoor air pollution on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a case-control study in Mainland China. Respirology 12:891–897

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zelikoff JT, Chen LC, Cohen MD et al (2002) The toxicology of inhaled woodsmoke. J Toxicol Environ Health 5:269–282

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou H, Kobzik L (2007) Effect of concentrated ambient particles on macrophage phagocytosis and killing of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 36:460–465

    PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

    John R. Balmes M.D.

  2. Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA

    John R. Balmes M.D.

Authors
  1. John R. Balmes M.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to John R. Balmes M.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Extramural Research and Training, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA

    Srikanth S. Nadadur

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA

    John W. Hollingsworth

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer-Verlag London

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Balmes, J.R. (2015). Indoor Biomass Burning and Health Consequences. In: Nadadur, S., Hollingsworth, J. (eds) Air Pollution and Health Effects. Molecular and Integrative Toxicology. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-6669-6_14

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation