Improved cookstoves enhance household air quality and respiratory health in rural Rwanda.

Household air pollution (HAP) from biomass combustion in traditional cooking methods poses significant health risks, particularly in rural communities of low- and middle-income countries. Improved cookstoves (ICS), designed to enhance combustion efficiency and reduce emissions, have been promoted as a transitional alternative towards cleaner cooking. However, evidence of their benefits remains mixed and context-specific.

Positive impact of improved cookstove usage on respiratory health in Congolese refugees: a prospective cohort study.

Around 3 billion people worldwide use solid biomass fuels for cooking. Exposure to indoor biomass smoke is an important cause of COPD and therefore a target of many public health interventions, such as usage of improved cookstoves. The aim of our study was to show whether usage of improved cookstoves can lead to relevant improvement in lung function and CAT-score in a well characterized population including a subgroup of this population with preexisting airway obstruction.