Burning wood results in the release of pollutants that interfere with breathing. Worse still, these pollutants trap some of the air in the lungs, which reduces their oxygenation capacity.
- The wood-fired kitchen is full of pollutants that trap air in our lungs.
- This method of cooking is still used by three billion people on Earth, or almost one in two people.
- Even without feeling pain, it is possible to have lung damage from the smoke.
The more time passes, the more the harmful effects of burning wood on our health pile up. Already known for its harmfulness in heating, wood is also bad for cooking food. At its annual meeting, the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) unveiled a study on the risks of cooking with wood for our lungs.
A mode of combustion still used by almost one in two Earthlings
Around the world, about 3 billion people cook with biomass, such as wood or dried brushwood. This method of cooking is mainly used in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, even if Western populations are not left out when they barbecue. Pollutants from biomass combustion are a major contributor to the estimated 4 million annual deaths from diseases linked to household air pollution.
While public health initiatives led by the World Health Organization (WHO) have tried to support the transition from biomass fuels to gas, which burns cleaner, a significant number of households continue to use wood to cook. Easy to access and inexpensive, financial constraints and the reluctance to change established habits are factors that work in favor of wood, especially when combined with a lack of information on the health effects of its smoke. lungs.
To understand the disastrous consequences on human health, the researchers studied the influence of pollutants from stoves in 23 people cooking with liquefied petroleum gas or wood in Thanjavur, India. The research was carried out by a multidisciplinary team led by the University of Iowa (United States), in collaboration with researchers from the Periyar Maniammai Institute of Science and Technology (India).
Air trapped in the lungs
The researchers measured the concentrations of pollutants in the homes and then studied the participants’ lung function, using traditional tests such as spirometry. They also used advanced CT imaging to perform quantitative measurements. For example, it allowed them to see what a person was inhaling as well as what they were exhaling. They were able to measure the difference between the images to see how the lungs function.
The results showed that people who cooked with wood were exposed to higher concentrations of pollutants and bacterial endotoxins than users of gas cooking. They also had a significantly higher level of air entrapment in their lungs, a condition associated with lung disease.
“Air entrapment occurs when part of the lung is unable to effectively exchange air with the environment, so the next time you breathe in, you are not bringing enough oxygen to that area. and you eliminate carbon dioxide”, says Abhilash Kizhakke Puliyakote, a medical researcher at the University of California, San Diego.
Massive damage that does not necessarily involve pain
At a subset of wood users, researchers found very high levels of air entrapment and abnormal tissue mechanics, even when compared to other wood users. In about a third of the group, more than 50% of the air they inhaled got trapped in their lungs.
“Such increased susceptibility in a subgroup is also seen in other studies in tobacco smokers, and there could be a genetic basis that predisposes some people to be more susceptible.”, emphasizes Abhilash Kizhakke Puliyakote.
The results of the study underscore the importance of minimizing exposure to smoke. Even without having symptoms or difficulty breathing, the lung can show damage and inflammation that may go unnoticed and potentially unresolved in some people. In their conclusion, the researchers point out that this study, which was based on domestic cooking, can be extrapolated to include other sources of exposure to wood smoke, such as in the two forests.
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