Studies Begin into Effects of Biomass Fuel on People

The Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC) has begun evaluating the impact of exposure of smoke from inefficient burning of biomass fuel on the health of the people in the Kintampo districts.

The study which is in partnership with the Biomass Working Group at the Columbia University, is also aimed at finding clean-burning cook stoves among households in the area to help control respiratory diseases like colds and coughs said to be caused by smoke from biomass fuels.

In Ghana, more than 97 per cent of rural households cook with biomass fuels, which according to the World Bank, is a major contributor to respiratory tract diseases like pneumonia in children and women.

Briefing journalist from the Africa Media and Malaria Research Centre on the study, a Clinical Research Fellow of the KHRC Dr. Kwaku Poku Asante, said specially designed cook stoves would be distributed to 400 households early next year for the study.

The stoves, he explained reduces the level of smoke from burning biomass fuel like charcoal and firewood while firewood and charcoal used by people, especially those in the rural areas, puts mothers and children at risk of the getting respiratory tract infection.

Globally, he said that, about 3 billion people cook with biomass fuels, which lead to approximately 1.6 million excess deaths a year, adding “the problem arise when households burn solid fuels using inefficient combustion technologies”.

Dr. Asante said that a survey to gather basic information about the cooking practices of 140,000 people in the Kintampo districts has already been conducted and the result being analysed.

He said that the KHRC has acquired special equipment for measuring smoke levels, noting that after the distribution of the cook stoves to the households, the KHRC will again measure the level of smoke from it and compare it with the smoke from their inefficient combustion technologies.

He said that by mid next year, the final results of the study would be ready to pave the way to a prospective intervention aimed at reducing the burden of respiratory diseases in the area.

“The results of the ultimate interventional study will be important in the control of respiratory diseases in Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa as a whole if found to be beneficial,” he pointed out.

He indicated scientific data that quantify the magnitude of the current health burden duel to inefficient burning of biomass fuel is required to plan optimal solutions.

He said that a draft proposal of larger intervention study is being developed for funding.