Is Household Air Pollution a Risk Factor for Eye Disease?

Sheila K. West, Michael N. Bates, Jennifer S. Lee, Debra A. Schaumberg, David J. Lee, Heather Adair-Rohani, Dong Feng Chen and Houmam Araj
Additional contact information
Sheila K. West: Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
Michael N. Bates: School of Public Health, Divisions of Epidemiology and Environmental Health Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Jennifer S. Lee: Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
Debra A. Schaumberg: John A. Moran Eye Center, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt lake City, UT 84132, USA
David J. Lee: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33101, USA
Heather Adair-Rohani: World Health Organization, Geneva CH-1211, Switzerland
Dong Feng Chen: Schepens Eye Research Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
Houmam Araj: National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA

IJERPH, 2013, vol. 10, issue 11, 1-21

Abstract: In developing countries, household air pollution (HAP) resulting from the inefficient burning of coal and biomass (wood, charcoal, animal dung and crop residues) for cooking and heating has been linked to a number of negative health outcomes, mostly notably respiratory diseases and cancers. While ocular irritation has been associated with HAP, there are sparse data on adverse ocular outcomes that may result from acute and chronic exposures. We consider that there is suggestive evidence, and biological plausibility, to hypothesize that HAP is associated with some of the major blinding, and painful, eye conditions seen worldwide. Further research on this environmental risk factor for eye diseases is warranted.

Keywords: biomass; blindness; cataract; trachoma; dry eye disease; household air pollution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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