• A study recently published in the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, had the main research focus of estimating the impact of indoor air pollution from cooking fuel choice on under-five mortality in India.

• Indoor air pollution is the leading environmental factor behind mortality in India, accounting for about 40% of the 1.2 million deaths in 2017 (Global Burden of Disease 2017).

• For this, the researchers used Nationally representative data with identification through forest cover and agricultural land ownership.

• The Key Findings included:
  1. Solid fuel use for cooking significantly increases child mortality rates.
  2. The impact is mainly on neonatal mortality (first 28 days after birth).
  3. The effect of mortality is higher on girls compared to boys.
  4. The effect is magnified in smaller households with limited division of labor between childcare and cooking.
  5. Biomass fuels (firewood, animal dung, agricultural waste) are the main contributors to increased child mortality.

• This study highlights the critical public health issue of indoor air pollution from biomass cooking fuels, emphasizing the urgent need for cleaner cooking alternatives to reduce child mortality, particularly neonatal deaths and gender disparities in health outcomes in India.

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