Mortality and burden of disease from household air pollution
Situation and trends
In the year 2004, indoor air pollution from solid fuel use was responsible for almost 2 million annual deaths and 2.7% of the global burden of disease (in Disability-Adjusted Life Years or DALYs). This makes this risk factor the second biggest environmental contributor to ill health, behind unsafe water and sanitation. The importance of indoor air pollution as a public health threat varies drastically according to the level of development: in low income countries, indoor air pollution is responsible for up to 4.0% of the burden of disease, while the same risk factor no longer features among the top 10 risk factors in industrialized countries.