Respiratory infections
Smoke inhalation alters several mechanisms of lung defense, including the efficacy of both the mucociliary
escalator and the macrophage function.11 Exposure to biomass smoke has been clearly associated with an
increase in the severity of respiratory infections in children,23 a notorious cause of disease and death in developing
countries. Furthermore, the risk of pneumoniain young children is increased by exposure to solid fuels by a factor of 1.8.Several studies also found an increased risk of tuberculosis in those exposed to biomass stoves, although
such studies are scarce and the results mixed.24 Biomass smoke exposure is likely only one of the important
mechanisms by which poverty increases the incidence of respiratory infections and tuberculosis (Figure, Table 3).