[ti:Indoor Pollution Kills Millions Each Year] [ar:Anna Matteo] [al:Health Report] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report. [00:04.34]The way we cook is important. [00:07.88]In many countries, [00:09.72]the two choices are natural gas or electric-powered stoves. [00:14.76]The World Health Organization warns [00:18.29]that millions of people are dying every year [00:22.33]from indoor air pollution. [00:24.62]Indoor air pollution results from the use of dangerous fuels [00:30.70]and cook-stoves in the home. [00:32.86]To help fight the problem, [00:35.25]the WHO announced new guidelines [00:38.64]aimed at reducing household pollutants. [00:41.92]WHO officials say nearly three billion people [00:47.70]are unable to use clean fuels and technologies for cooking, [00:53.10]heating and lighting. [00:54.84]And they say more than seven million people [00:58.87]die from exposure to indoor or outdoor air pollution each year. [01:04.70]Of that number, [01:06.60]the WHO says about 4.3 million people [01:11.17]die from household air pollution given off [01:14.56]by simple biomass and coal cook-stoves. [01:19.30]Most of the deaths are in developing countries. [01:22.98]The WHO's plan of action for reducing indoor pollutants [01:29.25]is based on new findings. [01:31.54]These findings show that the use of toxic fuels [01:36.32]in inefficient stoves, space heaters [01:39.20]or lights is to blame for many of these deaths. [01:43.28]Carlos Dora is Coordinator [01:47.22]in the WHO's Department of Public Health, [01:50.67]Environmental and Social Determinants of Health. [01:54.51]He says people should not use unprocessed coal [01:58.89]and kerosene fuel indoors. [02:01.18]He says opening a window or door [02:04.86]to let out the harmful air [02:07.05]will not correct the situation. [02:09.04]It will only pollute the outdoors. [02:12.37]"You cannot expect that a bit of ventilation [02:16.45]is going to get rid of this. [02:17.46]It is really about very clean technologies and clean fuels. [02:21.42]And, the fuel story has not been stressed enough [02:24.37]so far in the global debate. [02:26.26]So, that is the new thing. [02:27.75]We should be going for clean fuels. [02:29.44]We should be avoiding coal. [02:30.94]We should be avoiding kerosene [02:32.83]and we should be going for the solar, [02:34.57]the LPG (liquified petroleum gas), the ethanol ... [02:37.15]the solutions that we know exist [02:38.99]that can address a big proportion of this issue." [02:43.10]WHO officials say indoor pollution [02:45.79]leads to early deaths from stroke, heart and lung disease, [02:51.12]childhood pneumonia and lung cancer. [02:54.46]Women and girls are the main victims. [02:58.64]The WHO says these diseases can often result [03:04.57]from high levels of fine particulate matter [03:08.16]and carbon monoxide released by the burning of solid fuels. [03:13.75]These fuels include wood, coal, [03:18.37]animal waste, crop waste and charcoal. [03:23.60]The United Nations found that more than 95 percent [03:28.39]of households in sub-Saharan Africa [03:31.32]depend on solid fuels for cooking. [03:34.91]It says huge populations in India, [03:39.34]China and Latin American countries, [03:42.43]such as Guatemala and Peru, are also at risk. [03:47.22]Nigel Bruce is a professor of Public Health [03:51.46]at the University of Liverpool. [03:53.85]He says researchers are developing good cook-stoves [03:58.87]and other equipment to burn fuels in a more efficient way. [04:04.94]"There are already multiple technologies [04:08.57]available for use in clean fuels. [04:11.18]There is really quite an effective [04:14.81]and reasonably low-cost ethanol stove [04:16.95]that is made by Dometic (a Sweden-based company) [04:18.55]that is now being tested out .. [04:19.93]it has been tested out in a number of African countries [04:23.29]and we do report results from that in the guidelines. [04:26.92]LPG cook is obviously widely available and efforts [04:30.32]are under way to make those efficient. [04:32.16]Another interesting development is electric induction stoves." [04:35.19]WHO experts note some new, safe and low-cost technologies [04:41.07]that could help are already available. [04:44.21]In India, you can buy an induction stove for about $8.00. [04:50.38]And in Africa you can buy a solar lamp for less than $1.00. [04:56.70]But, this, the agency says, is just a start. [05:01.39]It is urging developing countries to use cleaner fuels [05:06.37]and increase access to cleaner [05:09.95]and more modern cooking and heating appliances. [05:14.39]I'm Anna Matteo. [05:16.16]¸ü¶àÌýÁ¦Çë·ÃÎÊ51voa.com