A recent study by researchers has indicated a high level of risk among 50% of the rural population in Northeast Indian states relies on traditional fuels, leading to elevated indoor aerosol exposure.

The study underscores the immediate need for a transition to cleaner fuels in Northeast Indian states. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (IIT Mandi), in collaboration with Institut National de Recherche et de Sécurité (INRS), France, and the National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL), India, have conducted a comprehensive study on the detrimental effects of indoor air pollution resulting from traditional cooking practices in rural kitchens across three Northeast Indian states. Researchers analyzed the extent and consequences of harmful emissions produced during indoor cooking using firewood and mixed biomass.

The researchers measured size-resolved concentrations of aerosols, which are particles suspended in the air, and toxic trace metals and carcinogenic organic substances bound with it, during cooking with firewood, mixed biomass, and Liquefied Petroleum Gas. The resulting inhalation exposure to these chemicals and deposits in the respiratory system was then calculated.

Utilizing this data, the researchers estimated the health impact (disease burden) on the rural NE Indian population, focusing on respiratory diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Pneumonia, and various cancers, using the ‘Potential Years of Life Lost’ (PYLL) metric. This metric estimates the potential number of years lost in a population due to premature death from ill health.

The exposure was 2-19 times higher than in LPG-using kitchens, with respiratory deposition ranging from 29 to 79% of the total aerosol concentration. The fraction of population using firewood and mixed biomass faced 2-57 times higher disease burdens than LPG users.

Dr Sayantan Sarkar, Assistant Professor, School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, IIT Mandi, said, “Our study combines real-world aerosol measurements in rural kitchens with dosimetry modeling to robustly estimate the impact of cooking emissions on the respiratory tract. It is the first effort to estimate disease burdens caused by exposure to indoor cooking emissions in India in terms of potential years of life lost. The study also measures for the first time the potential for oxidative stress resulting from such exposure in the Indian context, and quantifies the additional risk that biomass users face compared to those who use the cleaner alternative LPG.”

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