My mother took this picture, and these are her cooking tools. The charcoal is located on both sides—it is easier in case any additional meal needs to be cooked.
Many people in Haiti depend on organic substances such as manure, wood, and food waste for fuel. These materials are burned indoors, often in rudimentary stoves, and the resulting smoke causes immense indoor air pollution. This smoke often contains carcinogens, particulate matter emissions, agricultural residues, and other harmful chemicals.
According to studies from the World Health Organization (WHO), three billion people cook with open fires and, as a result, indoor smoke from solid fuels causes an estimated 4.3 million premature deaths annually.
I can recall the times where my grandmother and mother would cook using charcoal, and I know my grandmother still does. On average, both would spend about five hours each day cooking. This type of prolonged exposure is detrimental to their health. There were times when my young cousins were visiting, and we would be in such close proximity to the kitchen that we could smell the charcoal constantly burning.
I also know there are some solutions to this problem.
These deaths are due to large particulate matter from carbon dioxide released from rudimentary cooking stoves. It is estimated that 34 percent die due to stroke, 26 percent to ischemic heart disease, 22 percent to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 12 percent to childhood pneumonia, and 6 percent to lung cancer, according to the WHO. Cooking indoors can also contribute to cardiovascular disease, tuberculosis, cataract issues, and adverse pregnancy outcomes such as low birth weight, acute lower respiratory infection, and stillbirth, according to a study in the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease.
Haiti suffers from high levels of poverty and limited economic growth; the 2010 earthquake and Hurricane Matthew in 2016 have not helped its development. Because of these crippling disasters, firewood and wood charcoal have been adopted as the primary fuel used for cooking in the country due to their reliability and accessibility for most of the population.
Naissa Piverger, MPH, is a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Department of Population Health Science and Policy at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Women and children, whose days often center on gathering fuel and cooking, are disproportionately exposed to pollutants. This comes from the traditional framework that Haitians follow of women cooking and taking care of the children. They are also more vulnerable to the effects of household air pollution because of their time spent indoors, according to a study in Global Public Health.
In a recent study, researchers worked with a group of home cooks in Nepal and used art as a means for discussing the ways in which household air pollution from cooking affects their health. The women interviewed identified a myriad of health effects that were associated with the eye and respiratory system.
There are possible solutions that can assist in reducing household air pollution effects while improving the health of women in the community. For instance, investing in ethanol based fuel or using electric stoves can reduce exposure from cooking with open fires. Solid fuel use has important environmental and human health consequences and there is much work to be done to prevent these illnesses in both moms and babies.