High-efficiency stoves, such as induction stoves, are soaring in popularity worldwide. If you haven't gotten one yet, a new study makes a compelling case for why you should, revealing that these stoves significantly reduce exposure to harmful pollution.
The Chicago Booth Review reported on the study conducted by Chicago Booth's Joshua Dean and the University of Pennsylvania's Susanna B. Berkouwer. Researchers offered residents in Nairobi, Kenya, subsidized high-efficiency stoves to replace traditional stoves that generate toxic levels of particulate pollution and contribute to respiratory problems.
The result? Participants who switched to the cleaner-burning stoves reported fewer respiratory symptoms, such as coughing and headaches. In addition, they improved the quality of life for residents by cooking food faster and reducing the fuel needed.
According to the researchers, residents in Nairobi spent around 20% of their household income on charcoal for cooking. However, they reduced their charcoal use by nearly 50% by adopting high-efficiency stoves, per Chicago Booth Review.
While the stoves provided tangible benefits, the research team noted that they did not impact clinical health issues, such as high blood pressure, blood oxygen levels, or pneumonia. They concluded that long-term health problems are linked to the city's overall air pollution from industrial activities, agriculture, and vehicle traffic.
"In urban settings where people face both peak and ambient pollution, alleviating the peaks for improved cooking is not sufficient to make long-term impacts on chronic health conditions," Dean told Chicago Booth Review.
But, like anything, we can't let perfect be the enemy of good, as the researchers pointed out.
"Even if the health benefits to high-efficiency cookstoves were less than might be expected, there would still be massive financial savings," Dean said. "These households spent a huge amount of their money on energy. The stoves retailed for $40 at the time of the study, and the savings were more than $120 during the first year. That return on investment can help people obtain a livelihood."
The team also said high-efficiency stoves could be an affordable way to lower global carbon pollution. For example, each fuel-efficient stove slashes carbon fumes by about 3.5 tons annually, equating to roughly $5 per ton in pollution reduction costs.
🗣️ Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to buy an induction stove?
🔘 Healthier indoor air 🏠
🔘 Superior cooking results 🍳
🔘 Helping the planet 🌎
🔘 I wouldn't buy an induction stove 🚫
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Since billions worldwide use traditional cooking methods such as three-stone fires, which are notoriously polluting and inefficient, swapping them out with fuel-efficient versions could eliminate millions of tons of pollution, per Chicago Booth.
And the benefits last long after the stoves are installed. According to researchers, 85% of households that received a high-efficiency stove still used it four years after the study.
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