Originally published January 31 2006
Women in Bangladesh suffer from pollution-induced asthma
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
In Bangladesh, the New Nation reports on the large number of women afflicted with asthma, mainly from air pollution associated with cooking and other environmental triggers.
Huge number of women and children living, particularly in the rural areas, of the country suffer from asthma and bronchitis due to high level air pollution from used wood, cow-dung, jute sticks and paddy husk.
Sources said the sufferings developed, mostly in kitchen rooms, for apathy to utilise latest technology-based burner, ventilation and ignorance about the air pollution.
A recent survey conducted by a number of organisations, including the World Bank and Society for Urban Environment Protection, revealed that the village kitchen rooms in Bangladesh suffer from highest level of pollution by 200-3000 ug/m3PM10 and PM2.5; whereas the level of pollution in the European countries is 40-45 ug/m3.
The survey report showed that the children in the laps of their cooking mothers inhale the dust with smoke created by fuel and for insufficient blowing of wind through the kitchen rooms.
"The villagers use smoke in the cowsheds and the bedrooms to drive away the mosquitoes.
The high quality biogas oven that cost Tk about 40 to 50 thousands are used only by the rich since the poor cannot afford to purchase.
Even in the urban areas the kitchen rooms equipped with the natural gas are not safe.
The level of pollution has been found at 101 ug/m3 PM10 which, according to WHO, should have remained below 50.
Pollution emits from the oven fuel even in the world-developed countries; but the users through their conciseness control the level of pollution.
The survey report also observed that the level pollution can be controlled by creating awareness among the users, by building kitchen rooms at a sustainable distance from the bedrooms, by the conjunction of chimney with the woven and using musk by the users.
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