Contribution of household air pollution to ambient air pollution in Ghana: using available evidence to prioritize future action
A new report released by the Health Effects Institute synthesizing nine research and policy studies conducted in Ghana finds that household air pollution is a significant contributor to fine particle outdoor air pollution in Ghana. The analysis, Contribution of Household Air Pollution to Ambient Air Pollution in Ghana, goes on to note that the average level of fine particle pollution (PM2.5) in Ghana (35 µg/m3) is more than three-fold higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) outdoor Air Quality Guideline (10 µg/m3 ) for healthy air. The analysis, conducted by the HEI Ghana Working Group (made up of scientists from Ghana, Canada, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States), reported that household air pollution from the burning of solid fuels (i.e., wood, coal, charcoal, and other biomass) for cooking contributes to nearly 10,000 deaths each year in Ghana.
