According to a study published in PLOS Medicine , researchers from the Nuffield Department of Population Health (NDPH) at the University of Oxford and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking University have found a clear link between cooking with firewood or charcoal and an increased risk of major eye diseases that can lead to blindness . The study involved nearly half a million people in China.
3.8 billion people at risk
All study participants were asked about their cooking habits using a questionnaire, and then hospital admissions for major eye conditions were tracked through linkage to health insurance records.
During the ten-year follow-up period, there were 4,877 cases of conjunctival disorders , 13,408 cataracts, 1,583 sclera, cornea, iris, and ciliary body disorders, and 1,534 cases of glaucoma among study participants.
About half of the world’s population, 3.8 billion people, is exposed to household air pollution from cooking with "dirty" solid fuels, such as charcoal and wood. While previous studies have reported a possible link between cooking with solid fuels and an increased risk of cataracts in women, it is unclear if similar associations also exist with other major eye diseases, such as conjunctivitis, keratitis, and glaucoma .
The increased risks may be due to exposure to high levels of fine particles (PM2.5) and carbon monoxide , which can damage the surface of the eye and cause inflammation. Burning wood also increases the risk of eye injury from sparks or wood dust. The researchers propose that the reason there was no association between solid fuel use and glaucoma risk was because glaucoma affects the internal structures of the eye, which are less exposed to air pollutants.