Lack of fresh air for pregnant women to breathe: Global consequences and potential solutions

Half the world's population and up to 90% of rural households in resource limited settings rely on unprocessed biomass fuels such as crop residues for cooking and heating. These fuels result in household air pollution (HAP), particularly carbon monoxide, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and particulate matter.

Pregnant women and their children are at risk of exposure to HAP because of time spent in the household. Exposure to HAP for the women increases the risk of hypertension and COPD; for their babies increases the risk of being born preterm, low birth-weight or dying in the perinatal period.

In September 2010, the United Nations Foundation announced the Global Alliance for Clean Cook Stoves, a new public-private partnership to save lives, empower women, improve livelihoods, and combat climate change.

The important question is --- are the proposed new cooking solutions practical and do they improve the health and lives of pregnant women and their babies?