Indoor air quality is a serious public health issue in South Asia, with cooking fires leading to thousands of deaths annually and untold respiratory problems. What's even worse: The (Kolkata) Telegraph reports that cow dung cakes, frequently used as fuel for cooking, release arsenic-laced smoke when burned. Indian and Bangladeshi researchers reported the findings in a recent Journal of Environmental Monitoring article. Women and children, who spend hours beside cooking fires, are at greatest risk of arsenic poisoning.
Pinterest
