Indoor Air Pollution
Harmful smoke and particulates inside homes, largely from burning solid fuels for cooking and heating.
SDG 3 Good Health & Well-beingSDG 7 Affordable & Clean EnergyWhat is it?
Indoor (household) air pollution is the accumulation of fine particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and other pollutants indoors, mostly from open fires and inefficient stoves.
Why does it matter?
It is one of the world’s largest environmental health risks, linked to pneumonia, stroke, heart disease, chronic lung disease, and lung cancer.
How does it work?
Incomplete combustion of wood, dung, crop waste, coal, or charcoal releases PM2.5 and toxic gases that penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream.
Who benefits?
Reducing it benefits everyone in the home, especially women and children under five who face the highest exposure and disease burden.
Who may be disadvantaged?
Interventions can shift costs onto poor households; poorly designed programs may leave families paying more without meaningfully cleaner air.
What evidence exists?
WHO estimates household air pollution causes on the order of 3 million+ deaths per year, with strong epidemiological links across multiple diseases.
What tradeoffs exist?
Ventilation and chimneys reduce indoor exposure but can push pollution outdoors; only genuinely clean fuels eliminate the source rather than relocate it.
Common misconceptions
It is not only an outdoor-city problem — for billions, the highest-exposure air is inside their own kitchens, and it compounds other risks like waterborne disease.
What you can do next
See how clean cooking transitions aim to cut this exposure at the source.