Question : What is the major source of indoor air pollution?

Option 1: Vehicle emissions

Option 2: Industrial smokestacks

Option 3: Cooking stoves

Option 4: Forest fires

Correct Answer: Cooking stoves

Solution : The correct answer is (c) Cooking stoves

While outdoor sources like vehicle emissions, industrial smokestacks, and forest fires contribute to outdoor air pollution, indoor air pollution primarily originates from various sources within indoor environments. One significant source is cooking stoves or cooking appliances that use solid fuels such as wood, coal, or biomass for cooking and heating purposes, particularly in households without access to clean and modern cooking technologies.

The burning of solid fuels in inefficient or poorly ventilated stoves can release harmful pollutants into the indoor air, including particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and volatile organic compounds. Prolonged exposure to indoor air pollution from cooking stoves can have adverse health effects, especially on vulnerable populations such as women and children who spend significant time near the source.

Efforts to mitigate indoor air pollution from cooking stoves include promoting the use of clean and efficient cooking technologies like improved cookstoves, biogas stoves, or electric stoves, as well as ensuring proper ventilation to remove pollutants and improve indoor air quality.