de Koning H W, Smith K R, Last J M
Bull World Health Organ. 1985;63(1):11-26.
Biomass fuels (wood, agricultural waste, and dung) are used by about half the world's population as a major, often the only, source of domestic energy for cooking and heating. The smoke emissions from these fuels are an important source of indoor air pollution, especially in rural communities in developing countries. These emissions contain important pollutants that adversely affect health-such as suspended particulate matter and polycyclic organic matter which includes a number of known carcinogens, such as benzo[a]pyrene, as well as gaseous pollutants like carbon monoxide and formaldehyde.Exposure to large amounts of smoke may present a health risk that is of a similar order of magnitude to the risk from tobacco smoke. The effects on health arising from exposure to air pollution are reviewed, based on what has been reported in the literature so far. Further and more detailed information on exposures and on the epidemiological aspects is urgently required.The persons most frequently affected are women who do the cooking for households in rural villages; they suffer from impaired health due to prolonged and repeated contact with these harmful pollutants. When they are pregnant, the developing fetus may also be exposed and this leads to the risk of excess deaths. In the developing countries, exposure to biomass fuel emissions is probably one of the most important occupational health hazards for women. A conservatively estimated 300-400 million people worldwide, mostly in the rural areas of developing countries, are affected by these problems.
生物质燃料（木材、农业废弃物和粪便）被全球约一半人口用作主要的，通常也是唯一的家庭能源，用于烹饪和取暖。这些燃料产生的烟雾是室内空气污染的重要来源，在发展中国家的农村地区尤为如此。这些烟雾中含有对健康有不利影响的重要污染物，如悬浮颗粒物和多环有机物质，其中包括一些已知的致癌物，如苯并[a]芘，以及一氧化碳和甲醛等气态污染物。接触大量烟雾可能带来与接触烟草烟雾类似程度的健康风险。根据目前文献中的报道，对接触空气污染对健康的影响进行了综述。迫切需要更多关于接触情况和流行病学方面的详细信息。受影响最频繁的人群是在农村家庭做饭的妇女；由于长期反复接触这些有害污染物，她们的健康受到损害。当她们怀孕时，发育中的胎儿也可能受到影响，这会导致额外死亡的风险。在发展中国家，接触生物质燃料排放物可能是对妇女最重要的职业健康危害之一。据保守估计，全球有3亿至4亿人受到这些问题的影响，其中大多数在发展中国家的农村地区。
