By: Godfred Amoaful
A clinical epidemiologist and Director of the Kintampo Research Center under the Ghana Health Service’s Research and Development division, Kweku Poku Asante says there is enough evidence from research conducted on households that use biomass for cooking compared to those that use LPG that household air pollution such as smoke made during cooking when using biomass increases the risk of contracting non-communicable diseases.
He said smoke that is emitted from the use of firewood and other solid energy for cooking affects an individual’s blood vessels and also leads to hypertension among them.
He added that when pregnant women cook with solid energy, the pollution results in increasing the risks of blood pressure also among them. Again children who are exposed to carbon monoxide/ household air pollution during pregnancy, develop impaired lung function at the age of four.
“If they are exposed to carbon monoxide, especially in their last trimester, it leads to impaired lung function at the age of years. We also realized that children who are exposed to carbon monoxide also suffer poor growth which also accounts for the risk of developing hypertension and other chronic diseases”, he said.
He advised that, pregnant women must avoid the use of biomass to prevent household pollution such as carbon monoxide so that they can escape the impact of it on their health and the unborn babies.
He said if children have hypertension at an early age and if they are uncontrolled, it sets them up for NCDs during adulthood.
He recommended the use of LPGs to reduce these health issues.
