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According to a new research conducted in China, burning wood or coal to cook food is associated with respiratory diseases and premature death. About three billion people across the globe burn wood, coal or other solid fuels to cook their food.
Solid fuels emit very high levels of pollutants, especially very small particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs. Researchers from the Oxford University in the United Kingdom and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences report that chronic and acute respiratory disease hospitalizations or deaths were 36 percent higher among those who used wood or coal for cooking compared to those who used electricity or gas.
Those who used wood or coal for 40 years or longer had a 54 percent higher risk of hospitalization or death from respiratory disease, while those who switched from solid fuels to clean-burning fuels reduced their risk to only 14 percent higher than those who never cooked with wood or coal.
The study reviewed the health records of 280,000 adults, age 30 to 79, in the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB). The participants were from 10 areas of the country, had never smoked and were free of respiratory and other major chronic diseases when they enrolled in the study. They were followed for nine years. During that time, 19,823 were either hospitalized or died from a major respiratory disease. Of these events, 10,553 were due to asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and 7,324 were due to acute lower respiratory infections, most often pneumonia.
Previous studies have suggested a link between solid fuel use and COPD, most of them focused on changes in lung function, rather than hospital admissions or deaths. Compared to other studies that have found a two- to three-fold increase in COPD among those burning wood or coal.