Assessing the harmful effects of domestic fuelwood burning on air quality in residential areas within communities: a case study of Kaduna state

Rural women are custodians of energy for households especially for daily cooking and heating during the cold months of Harmattan. Cooking fuels are very important in every household because most of the food items must be heated, smoked, dried or cooked before consumption. The main source of this energy in most Nigerian households is from burning firewood. This causes indoor air pollution (IAP) due to emissions of black carbon and PM2.3. This paper examines the extent to which air pollution caused by fuelwood burning activities is harmful to the health of people in the study community. It also explores safer and sustainable alternatives, taking a case study of Kaduna state, Nigeria. Air pollution is one of the leading causes of human mortality in the world; for instance, IAP was reported to have caused 96,000 deaths in 2006 in Sub-Saharan Africa (WHO 2006). In addition, IAP contributes to many morbid conditions (disease) such as pneumonia in children, asthma, tuberculosis, upper airway cancer and catarrh. It was established that there is still over dependency on fuelwood in the study area due to fuel poverty and lack of affordable alternatives. This results in indoor air pollution with serious negative impacts on health. A review of previous studies has shown that prolonged exposure to MP2.5 causes or aggravates several morbid conditions in especially women and children. The health community is on board the health pollution discussion, and the WHO provides technical support to countries in evaluation and scale-up of health promoting fuels and technologies. The achievement of a permanent and sustainable solution to these impending disasters require a multiagency approach involving all stake holders, from local communities, local, state and national governments, national and international agencies, each playing a vital role.