November 12, 2000
Try not to breathe
As many as one billion people around the world are exposed regularly to pollution
levels up to 100 times higher than those recommended by the WHO.
Women and children in developing countries are most vulnerable, according to the agency, because they spend much of their time in smoky kitchens, where fires are typically set using wood, coal, crop wastes, or dung.
The WHO says that a “a deadly combination of solid fuel, inefficient stoves and poor ventilation triggers off a complex mix of health-damaging pollutants.”
For example, the WHO says that in India, where about 80 per cent of homes use such fuels, some 500,000 children die a year from acute respiratory infections.
