[Stoves] report with disappointing results from cleaner cookstoves

[Frank Shields]

Hi Xavier,

Perhaps I misunderstood the definition of ’improved’ stove? I was thinking it was the same small stoves being tested and the improved was newer designs that do a better job of burning pellets and lumber cut fuels based on emissions. But you are thinking modern stoves using electricity, liquid or natural gas fuels?

The tier approach used to compare stoves is just a friendly game to get stove producers to pay labs to test and compare their stove to others. The winner gets top rating for funding for distribution. Take those stoves into the real world of assorted fuels and I suspect the order of perfection will be quite different. And that is the only place it really counts. We need research to match real fuels to the stove. I see all other research to be a waste of time and funding getting misdirected from where it should be spent. There is no way to improve on what has already been done until we do that. 

Regards

Frank

 



> On Dec 17, 2016, at 1:33 AM, Xavier Brandao <xvr.brandao at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Hello Crispin,
> 
> It seems indeed that we are able to understand and measure quite well exposure, but to measure impact on health is the huge next step.
> So my take would be that you would not venture into designing a study on health impact, but would for now focus on exposure? Understanding exposure and its sources might help us understand health impact?
> 
> Frank,
> 
> I really like your idea of monitoring health of people living in villages in normal conditions, and then of a group who keeps living in the same village, and another group living in modern house far from sources of pollution.
> 
> Only the exposure settings should change, not their habits, like the food they eat, or the water they drink.
> 
> Then it would be difficult to have a group of villagers living far away from their village, socially isolated, during the whole course of the study, which might necessit months and months.
> 
> Unless you take 2 similar villages and fully transform one: modern houses only, all stoves but electric plates are banished.
> 
> Paul,
> 
> Yes, with stacking I mean that people still use the old stove along side the new one even if two stoves are provided. There are multiple reasons for doing so and they will go away quickly.
> That's the first question that came to my mind when I read about the study, I asked the question in my first post. From the article, it seems the researchers were more or less able to measure stove stacking.
> 
> So the conclusion of the study would be: "Philips improved cookstoves, because of their particular design (but other improved cookstoves have the same issue), are expected to be used only for some meals, and we have assessed that this use has little effect on pneumonia."
> 
> Now it'd be great to know if these same Philips stoves, when in use all the time, have an effect on pneumonia and other diseases.
> Also improved stoves with different design, maybe more adapted to cooking habits in Malawi, are used more, and then what is their effect on pneumonia and other diseases.
> And then, have the households use Philips or other ICS all the time, no stove stacking, and see what is the impact on pneumonia and other diseases.
> 
> After all these studies (like in 15 years from now), probably the conclusion of the researchers will be:
> "the authors recommend that the design of the stoves be modified so their adoption rate can be increased, and their emissions reduced."
> To this I will answer:
> "Thank you. We recommend that some funding be spent on stove R&D instead of studies, so we can implement the recommendations."
> 
> Best,
> 
> Xavier
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