The Hidden Crisis: How Household Air Pollution Endangers Public Health
At a stakeholders’ forum on clean fuel and cookstove implementation held in Lagos, leading medical and environmental specialists urged concerted action to tackle household air pollution and safeguard public health. The initiative is funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), in partnership with New York University, LASUTH, and LASUCOM.
Speaking at this forum, Prof. Akin Abayomi, Lagos Commissioner for Health – represented by Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, Special Adviser to the Governor on Health – underscored that household air pollution leads to millions of premature deaths, particularly among women and children. Clean cooking, he stated, reduces key health risks including maternal complications, childhood pneumonia, hypertension, and dementia; it also offers economic and environmental benefits such as reduced deforestation, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and household savings.
Prof. Ololade Wright (LASUCOM and LASUTH) noted that millions still rely on harmful fuels like firewood, charcoal, sawdust, dung, and kerosene. She advocated for increased government efforts to expand awareness and access to alternatives such as bioethanol stoves, LPG, and renewable cooking technologies and emphasized that clean cooking is vital for healthier families, cleaner air, and climate resilience.
Prof. Gbenga Ogedegbe of New York University revealed that household air pollution is associated not only with respiratory conditions but also with hypertension, dementia, and impaired child cognition. He noted that low-resource countries like Nigeria face a heightened burden, underscoring the urgency of the initiative.
Dr. Tunde Ajayi, General Manager of LASEPA, highlighted the impact on air quality, noting that reducing emissions from cooking, traffic, and generators has tangible benefits for Lagos residents. The project also supports local innovations in air quality monitoring.
Experts emphasized the need for government at all levels to strengthen policies, expand awareness campaigns, and facilitate accessible fuel options to drive widespread adoption of clean cooking solutions – an essential step toward reducing household air pollution and its serious health and environmental consequences. SOURCE: Nigerian Alliance for Clean Cookstoves – NACC
