The use of firewood in cooking poses detrimental health effects as the smoke, when inhaled, affects the human respiratory system.
Data from Kenya’s Health Ministry shows that lung diseases caused by smoke are responsible for 1.7% of deaths in the country.
According to statistics from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, 68.5 % of the Kenyan population and 9.1 million households, rely on traditional cooking fuel options as their primary source with firewood being the predominant one.
”In total, 68.5% of the population, or 9.1 million households million in urban areas and 7.4 million in rural areas), rely on traditional cooking fuel options as their primary source. Firewood remains the predominant cooking fuel,’’ read part of the statistics.
According to the Kenya Medical Respiratory Diseases Research Center (KMRDRC), burning biomass such as firewood, stands out as the largest contributor to the rise of respiratory diseases in the country.
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Negative Effects of Using Firewood
As per research conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) the smoke, when inhaled, affects the lungs leading to respiratory diseases and heart diseases.
Likewise, the smoke particles are deposited in the environment which is in turn inhaled by people.
Continuous use of firewood and other solid fuels such as charcoal leads to air pollution which in turn affects individuals living with respiratory diseases such as Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
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Research conducted by Environmental Health perspectives, shows that firewood smoke causes acute upper respiratory infections, which include cold, runny nose, sore throat with cough, and allergic colds.
Moreover, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder includes cough with or without fever, sputum, hemoptysis and marked breathlessness.
However, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder excludes TB.
According to WHO, women are most likely to be affected, following their role in most African households.
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In addition, KMRDRC clarified that people from low-income households are mostly likely to be diagnosed with respiratory diseases later in life compared to middle-class people in urban areas.
“People in low-income areas are diagnosed with respiratory diseases later in life compared to middle-class people in urban areas with better awareness and access to health care,” the institution said.
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