[Stoves] report with dissapointing results from cleaner cookstoves

[Roger Samson]

I read the study a little deeper. These were poor households found within a poor country
http://www.africanliberty.org/malawi-the-poorest-country-in-africa-whats-the-problem-peter-yakobe/

To me its likely the severity of the poverty was a much more important factor than indoor air pollution as a causal factor of pneumonia. I think there are many on this list and in the GACC management that dont appreciate how its weak immune systems associated with chronic malnutrition that is the primary cause of disease. About 1 in 6 in malawi are undernourished so you have to think in those poor households the numbers are likely 1 in 2 or 1 in 3 in the stud being malnourished.

Also malawi is quite dry, it might have been they do a lot of outdoor cooking and meals cooked indoors primarily in the rainy season. Can anyone comment on that? I remember reading a  report done in the Philippines and they used well ventilated bamboo hut kitchens and there was quite good air quality in the cooking areas. 


The bottomline may be there is no quick fix to improving health of the poor by using an improved cookstove. That might just be wishful thinking on the part of GACC.  To improve health you need a comprehensive strategy that includes clean water and improved nutrition as the first entry points to improving health. 

regards
Roger Samson

  



--------------------------------------------
On Wed, 12/7/16, Xavier Brandao <xvr.brandao at gmail.com> wrote:

 Subject: Re: [Stoves] report with dissapointing results from cleaner cookstoves
 To: stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org
 Received: Wednesday, December 7, 2016, 2:23 PM
 
 
   
 
     
   
   
     Hi all,
 
     
 
     My 2 cents: it is surprising that the authors of the
 study did not
     think of including electric plates in the range of
 cookstoves
     tested.
 
     
       with the electric plates, they would have been
 able to prove
         if clean cookstoves do make a difference in the
 health of users,
         even with all ambient pollution around (buses,
 garbage burning,
         etc.), as Crispin mentions
       they would have been able to prove whether or not
 improved
         woodstoves do make a difference in the health of
 users
     
     Did they make sure there was no stove stacking?
 
     
     Seems they'll have to do this study all over
 again?
     Best,
     Xavier
 
     
     
 
     
   
 
 
 -----Inline Attachment Follows-----
 
 _______________________________________________
 Stoves mailing list
 
 to Send a Message to the list, use the email address
 stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org
 
 to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web
 page
 http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/stoves_lists.bioenergylists.org
 
 for more Biomass Cooking Stoves,  News and Information
 see our web site:
 http://stoves.bioenergylists.org/