Cooking with coal contributes to major eye diseases

A study participated by half a million people in China displays a clear link between cooking with wood or coal, and an increased risk of major eye diseases that can lead to blindness, based on a report published today in PLOS Medicine.

Due to early research, approximately 3.8 billion people are vulnerable to air pollution from cooking dirty fuels, such as coal or 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 whether similar associations also exist with other major eye diseases, such as conjunctivitis, keratitis, and glaucoma.

Professor  Chen, Professor of Epidemiology and Director of China Programmers at the Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, and a senior author for the study, said, "Among Chinese adults, long-term solid fuel use for cooking was associated with higher risks of not only conjunctiva disorders but also cataracts and other more severe eye diseases. Switching to clean fuels appeared to mitigate the risks, underscoring the global health importance of promoting universal access to clean fuels."

Environmental factors and communal traditions, such as cooking with solid fuel, are the most important factors of eye health and show the need to work across all levels of health systems to improve outcomes. People should be more aware of this issue it is the government’s responsibility to broadcast awareness and reduce these avoidable causes and provide accessible health services."

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