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 pneumonia
in 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).