KNOWLEDGE OF HAZARDS FROM INDOOR AIR POLLUTION FROM HOUSEHOLD ENERGY USE IN RURAL CHINA

摘要

Indoor air pollution from household use of biomass and coal is a leading environmental health risk in many developing nations, and directly or indirectly linked to a number of the Millennium Development Goals, such as environmental sustainability, reducing child mortality, and gender equity. We use data from four poor provinces in China (Gansu, Guizhou, Shaanxi, and Neimeng) to assess the knowledge of hazards associated with indoor air pollution. Using this detailed comparative study in these four Chinese provinces, we conclude that broad health education - which simply provides information on the hazards of risk and available interventions - is insufficient for successful risk mitigation. Rather, there should be emphasis on the economic and infrastructure needs of technology dissemination, coupled with understanding the details of behaviors that affect exposure and presenting users with alternative behaviors.