The Silent Killer of Women & Children - Cookstove Smoke

I have to confess I knew nothing about this problem until today. I never considered smoke coming from an outdoor fire to be a significant cause of death for women and children in developing nations, but it is. There is also this; when women go to gather wood they are in danger of rape or death, particularly where there is a war going on. Over half the population lives under these burdens. Watch the video to learn more.


The guiding principle of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves can be summed up in three words: Cooking shouldn't kill.

While that may sound obvious to most of us, dangerous smoke from flame-powered cooking methods in the developing world is the root cause of a litany of unnecessary deaths and illnesses. Each year, 1.9 million people die from exposure to such smoke, and many more develop pneumonia, emphysema, lung cancer, and heart disease.

In addition, inefficient stoves harm the environment through emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and aerosols. They also force women and children to risk their lives foraging for wood in dangerous areas.

The Alliance, an initiative led by the United Nations Foundation, seeks to address the problem by nurturing clean cookstove production -- creating a sustainable industry that can safely meet the needs of impoverished people around the world.

Read more at Wholeliving.com: Cookstove Smoke: A Slow, Silent Killer