Final answer:
Indoor air pollution from open cookstoves causes approximately 1.6 million premature deaths per year, affecting mainly women and children in developing countries. Exposure to pollutants from burning solid fuels in inefficient stoves leads to serious respiratory and heart diseases. Challenges in adopting clean cooking technologies highlight the complexity of addressing global health issues.
Step-by-step explanation:
Indoor air pollution from open cookstoves is responsible for approximately 1.6 million premature deaths per year. These deaths are primarily due to lung and heart diseases caused by the pollutants released during the burning of solid fuels like biomass and coal, particularly in developing countries. Women and children, who typically spend more time indoors, are at a higher risk of exposure to these harmful pollutants. Sadly, a significant number of these deaths are children under the age of five.
The combustion of solid fuels in inefficient stoves without proper ventilation leads to high levels of indoor air pollution (IAP). IAP is a major global health concern as it causes around 2 million deaths each year, highlighting the urgency of addressing this issue. The use of cleaner fuels and improved cookstove technologies could reduce exposure to harmful pollutants, thereby improving health outcomes in affected regions.
Efforts to alleviate this issue through technology, such as the introduction of improved cookstoves, have faced challenges including maintenance difficulties and higher costs, which have hindered their wide adoption and impact on health.