In India, 4 to 5 lakh people die of household air pollution every year – largely due to improper ventilation combined with the use of biomass fuels for cooking and lighting. Even today, a majority of rural households continue to use biomass (such as wood and cow dung) as the primary cooking fuel.

The burning of these fuels emits pollutants such as carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, particulate matter, benzene, and metals including lead and copper. The use of dirty biomass fuels for cooking has several detrimental impacts on human health by either directly causing or aggravating ...