Indoor Air Quality for Poor Families: New Evidence from Bangladesh

48 Pages Posted: 20 Apr 2016

See all articles by Mainul Huq

Mainul Huq

World Bank

Susmita Dasgupta

World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)

M. Khaliquzzaman

World Bank

Kiran Dev Pandey

World Bank

David Wheeler

World Bank - Policy Research Department

Date Written: September 2004

Abstract

Indoor air pollution (IAP) from cooking and heating is estimated to kill a million children annually in developing countries. To promote a better understanding of IAP, the authors investigate the determinants of IAP in Bangladesh using the latest air monitoring technology and a national household survey. The study concludes that IAP is dangerously high for many poor families in Bangladesh. Concentrations of respirable airborne particulates(PM10) 300 ug/m3 or greater are common in the sample, implying widespread exposure to a serious health hazard.

Poor households in Bangladesh depend heavily on wood, dung, and other biomass fuels. The econometric results indicate that fuel choice significantly affects indoor pollution levels: Natural gas and kerosene are significantly cleaner than biomass fuels. However, household-specific factors apparently matter more than fuel choice in determining PM10 concentrations. In some biomass-burning households, concentrations are scarcely higher than in households that use natural gas. The results suggest that cross-household variation is strongly affected by structural arrangements - cooking locations, construction materials, and ventilation practices.

The authors' analysis also suggests that poor families may not have to wait for clean fuels or clean stoves to enjoy significantly cleaner air. Within their sample household population, some arrangements are already producing relatively clean conditions, even when "dirty" biomass fuels are used. Since these arrangements are already within the means of poor families, the scope for cost-effective improvements may be larger than is commonly believed.

This paper - a product of the Infrastructure and Environment Team, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to identify appropriate policies for the improvement of environmental quality.

Suggested Citation

Huq, Mainul and Dasgupta, Susmita and Khaliquzzaman, M. and Pandey, Kiran and Wheeler, David, Indoor Air Quality for Poor Families: New Evidence from Bangladesh (September 2004). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=625270

Mainul Huq

World Bank ( email )

1818 H Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20433
United States

Susmita Dasgupta (Contact Author)

World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG) ( email )

1818 H. Street, N.W.
MSN3-311
Washington, DC 20433
United States
202-473-2679 (Phone)
202-522-3230 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://econ.worldbank.org/staff/sdasgupta

M. Khaliquzzaman

World Bank

1818 H Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20433
United States

Kiran Pandey

World Bank ( email )

1818 H Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20433
United States

David Wheeler

World Bank - Policy Research Department ( email )

1818 H Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20433
United States

HOME PAGE: http://econ.worldbank.org/staff/dwheeler

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