A New Laboratory-Scale Device for Investigating Human Health Impacts of Biomass-Fired Domestic Cookstoves

Employment of simple cookstoves fueled by biomass continues to be a common practice for around 40% of the world population today1. Insufficient ventilation and use of unprocessed solid fuels contribute to indoor air pollution, which increases risk for diseases such as stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and acute lower respiratory infection234. These account for over 4 million premature deaths per year.

Prior research on the health impacts of cookstove smoke inhalation mainly involve case studies, and only a few have focused on in-vitro/in-vivo experiments. The aim of this project is to design a device that enables stable production of smoke, mimicking a real-life domestic three stone cooking fire. This will allow for bench testing, that can be closely compared to the exposure one would see in a rural village that relies on these methods of cooking.