Traditional open-fire stoves are to blame for much of the pollution that leads to millions of deaths in the developing world. Safer options are available, and ISO is supporting the technology that may finally make clean cookstoves a reality.
Imagine if cooking ate up a quarter of your income, degraded your country’s forests and emitted toxic smoke into your family home. The World Health Organization (WHO) has found that 3.8 million people a year die prematurely from illness attributable to the household air pollution caused by the inefficient use of solid fuels and kerosene for cooking. Worldwide, some three billion people cook their meals and heat their homes and water using open fires or simple stoves that create large amounts of household air pollution. These inefficient cooking options have been found to lead to serious health issues, such as pneumonia, heart disease and stroke. Sadly, without substantial policy change, the number of people lacking access to clean cooking fuels and technologies will remain largely unchanged.
Towards this effort, ISO technical committee ISO/TC 285 promotes clean and efficient cooking solutions with a special focus on the developing world. “It’s critical that communities have access to affordable, efficient, reliable and durable cookstoves that embrace the latest technologies and standards,” says Richard Ebong, Chair-elect of ISO/TC 285, “but it’s also essential that we work cooperatively with cookstove manufacturers to continually improve their products.” To ensure healthier communities, people need access to cookstoves that have been properly tested against known baseline criteria, he explains, and ISO is in the business of providing that baseline.
ISO/TC 285 promotes clean and efficient cooking solutions with a special focus on the developing world.