A new study published by the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) challenges conventional understanding of household air pollution’s impact on foetal growth.
Here researchers have presented findings from research conducted in 3,200 households across resource-poor settings in Guatemala, India, Rwanda, and Peru. The focus was on assessing the effects of reducing personal exposures to household air pollution on foetal growth in a randomized controlled trial.
Incomplete combustion of biomass fuels such as wood, crop waste, and animal dung, which are used for cooking in 36 percent of households worldwide, result in household air pollution.
Household air pollution is estimated to be responsible for 2.3 million premature deaths and 91.5 million disability-adjusted life-years lost annually. Women, often the primary cooks at home, bear the brunt of exposure to household air pollution.
To assess the specific impact of air pollution reduction on foetal growth, half of pregnant women were assigned the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stoves, resulting in a significant 66 percent reduction in exposure to fine particulate matter; whereas the remaining half continued the use of the habitual biomass fuels for cooking.
The research utilized ultrasounds to track foetal growth, providing a detailed understanding of the impact of air pollution on prenatal development.
The researchers found no clinically meaningful differences in foetal growth between the intervention group and those who continued using biomass fuels.
The lead author Professor William Checkley, from Johns Hopkins University, states: “While our study underscores the importance of reducing household air, our findings challenge the widely held belief that such pollution significantly impacts foetal growth.”
Furthermore, Checkley says: “Our findings suggest that the link between household air pollution and poor foetal growth may be less pronounced than previously assumed. Our findings do not support the use of unventilated liquefied petroleum gas stove and fuel delivery intervention as a strategy to reduce poor foetal growth in resource-limited settings.”
The results suggests a re-think of intervention strategies that will reduce both household air pollution and improve foetal outcomes is required. Simply basing this on LPG stove and free fuel is not enough.
The research appears in the journal Lancet Global Health, titled “Cooking with liquefied petroleum gas or biomass and fetal growth outcomes: a multi-country randomised controlled trial.”
