Firewood, a Killer!

   By Emecho Ted

Photo Environmental Change and Security Program

According to a United Nations Development Programme research, Nigeria tops the list of countries where women suffer various ailments resulting from the use of firewood. Correspondingly, a World Health Organization report states that “Over 98,000 Nigerian women die annually from use of firewood. If a woman cooks

breakfast, lunch and dinner, it is equivalent to smoking between three and 20 packets of cigarettes a day.” The death from this sector contributes to 10 per cent of global annual death and it is bigger than tuberculosis, HIV and AIDS and malaria combined, and it is only killing women

In developing countries, many homes and indeed restaurants resort to the use of firewood for cooking especially for large families, groups, parties, etc mainly due to the availability, inexpensive nature of firewood and lack of access to modern cooking fuels. But a large number of households are not aware of the hazards that are associated with cooking with firewood.

Some people would say our grandparents cooked with firewood, still they are alive. Yes, because the rate of atmospheric pollution or pollution generally at that time was very low.

Have you heard about Carbon sequestration?

This is the process involved in carbon capture and the long-term storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Fortunately,  trees do this to maintain the atmospheric condition of the ecosystem as they  capture Carbon in the process of photosynthesis, a term we are all familiar with.

Therefore by felling trees and using them as fuel to cook, we release the stored carbon back into the atmosphere as well as those generated from the incomplete combustion process. Carbon monoxide is produced by the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing fuels, such as gas (domestic or bottled), coal, oil, coke and wood. Gas stoves, fires, heating boilers, gas-powered water heaters, paraffin heaters, and solid fuel-powered water heaters are all potential sources of carbon monoxide.When any fire burns, in an enclosed room,or anywhere, the amount of oxygen available gradually decreases. At the same time the amount of carbon dioxide increases. As the amounts of these two gases change, this increasingly causes the combustion process to alter from one of complete combustion to one of incomplete combustion. This results in the release of increasing amounts of carbon monoxide.

People who constantly cook with firewood are exposed to carbon monoxide which our body does not need. Our body system requires oxygen to survive. 

However,  we should stop the use of firewood for cooking because it poses a great health risk on both the users and the environment.

Burning woods is said to release a lot of carbon dioxide and small particles into the air, which when inhaled places everyone around at the risk . Environmentally, global warming is the end result. To our health, it causes chronic lung disease, lung cancer, pneumonia, and cardiovascular diseases.

COOK WISELY..