RADIO PROGRAMME SCRIPT I OVERVIEW ON SMOKE AND HEALTH

Sign tune ( 30 secs) Introduction( 1 min) This programme is being brought to you by Ministry of Health , Kisumu District together with Intermediate Technology Development Group, Eastern Africa. This Project works with working with Communities in Kisumu District, Kadibo and Winam divisions to alleviate the problems of smoke and health supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) . The key message is that because of smoke in the home from cooking on wood, dung, crop waste and coal worldwide, over 1.6 million people die every year - It's a death toll greater than malaria. Every 20 seconds someone - usually a child or mother - dies from an illness because of smoke. Diseases related to Indoor Air pollution are of the world concern as very little action has been taken at the grassroots level with the target groups to overcome this problem. Thus smoke has remained a killer of millions of people without them knowing about it. Currently world organizations: DFID, WHO, EPA, ITDG and various stake holders are taking action to alleviate indoor air pollution problems. The Ministry of health brings to you this programme to help you know that kitchen smoke is a health hazard and you need to deal with it. Today on the programme is Dr Obara ,MOH Kisumu Distsrict. She give you highlights on the dangers of cooking on a smoky stove. Cooking is central to our lives, yet the very act of cooking is a threat to childrens health and well-being. Half of the worlds population rely on solid fuels, such as dung, wood, crop waste or coal to meet their most basic energy needs. In most developing countries, these fuels are burned in open fires or rudimentary stoves that give off black smoke.

When you have incomplete combustion the you have more of the harmful products of smoke products. For example in 1kg of wood which is estimated to have 454g of carbon, you end up with 403g CO2,3.8g methane 37.5g CO and 2g particles ( also known as particulate matter) Children, often carried on their mothers back during cooking, are most exposed. The indoor smoke inhaled gives rise to pneumonia and other respiratory infections the biggest killer of children under five years of age. Indoor air pollution is responsible for nearly half of the more than 2 million deaths each year that are caused by acute respiratory infections. Good ventilation and improved cooking stoves can dramatically reduce childrens exposure to smoke. Ultimately, making the transition to gas and electricity will save lives and reduce the physical toll on women and children from gathering wood, freeing time for education and development. This problem has been largely ignored by policy-makers. Health effects Established effects: Pneumonia and other respiratory infections Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (including bronchitis, emphysema) Smoke breaks down the respiratory defenses (Suppresses the immunity system)thus with prolonged exposure People get more exposed to various diseases. Tuberculosis Cataracts Asthma Low birth weight

 Middle ear infection (otitis media) In the next 12 weeks, I will share with you more insights on smoke and health mainly focusing on the health effects and interventions for reducing smoke in the Cooking environment.

RADIO PROGRAMME SCRIPT IIKITCHEN SMOKE AND HEALTH ISSUES

Sign tune ( 30 secs) Introduction( 1 min) This programme is being brought to you by Ministry of Health , Kisumu District together with Intermediate Technology Development Group, Eastern Africa. This Project works with working with Communities in Kisumu District, Kadibo and Winam divisions to alleviate the problems of smoke and health supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) . The key message is that because of smoke in the home from cooking on wood, dung, crop waste and coal worldwide, over 1.6 million people die every year - It's a death toll greater than malaria. Every 20 seconds someone - usually a child or mother - dies from an illness because of smoke.

Diseases related to Indoor Air pollution are of the world concern as very little action has been taken at the grassroots level with the target groups to overcome this problem. Thus smoke has remained a killer of millions of people without them knowing about it. Currently world organizations: DFID, WHO, EPA, ITDG and various stake holders are taking action to alleviate indoor air pollution problems. The Ministry of health brings to you this programme to help you know that kitchen smoke is a health hazard and you need to deal with it. Today on the programme is Dr Obara ,MOH Kisumu Distsrict. She give you highlights on the dangers of cooking on a smoky stove. Prologue ( 1min) Play( 3 min) Programme Content (5mins) In Africa, biomass has been always been used as the main source of fuel. From ages past, people have cooked in smoky kitchens. In any given area, people are asking themselves who they have witnessed dying from serious chest conditions; small children for pneumonia or elderly ladies with persistent coughs and breathlessness many of these deaths will have been hastened (or caused) by coughs. Maybe none, or one. or many. Many of us may ask Why does biomass burning produce pollutants which damage my health? What parts of the smoke have this effect? What health effects do we know about and how do they happen? This is really surprising as: Wood is well known as a natural fuel Burning wood as a fuel is also natural. How can it be a significant health hazard? We need to understand the burning process. Wood burns properly when there is just the right amount of air around it, and when the fire is really hot. For proper burning to take place wood needs to be completely dry. The better your fire burns, the less of these substances will get into your kitchen and the less of a health hazard it will be. However, even with a very good stove and really dry wood, smoke will be emitted from your fire whilst it is getting hot. For this reason, you should also think of ways of getting the smoke out of your kitchen. When these conditions are not perfect, you get smoke which is made up of substances called the Products of Incomplete Combustion (PICs). There are lots of different substances in the smoke, but the two we are going to talk about are particulates and carbon monoxide. Pollutants in Solid Fuel Smoke Those of concern to us are particulate matter and Carbon monoxide. Particulates are the tiny particles that are not visible to the naked eye, but they accumulate in the walls of the kitchen as soot (or Oyare in dholuo ) and we feel them in our lungs when we breathe in the smoke. Carbon monoxide is an odourless, colourless but highly poisonous gas.

Particulates
Particulate matter is breathed in through the nose and mouth and is deposited on to the breathing pipes and lungs and may even reach the blood supply. This deposition is not a one day thing ; it occurs over a period of time. Small particles - too small to see are the most dangerous as they get into the farthest into the body.

Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide is a gas that gets into the bloodstream and reduces the ability of the bodyto carry oxygen around the body. Carbon monoxide attaches to blood 250 times more easily than oxygen to form a compound called carboxy-hemoglobin. Depending on how much carbon monoxide you have breathed in, it can take a day or more to clear it from the blood, so if you are exposed to it every day from the fire, you can never really get rid of it from your body. Smoke breaks down the respiratory defenses (Suppresses the immunity system)thus with prolonged exposure People get more exposed to various diseases. What happens in the lungs? When smoke is breathed in through the mouth and nose: A lot of mucous is produced from irritation of the airways which, over time, causes permanent scarring of the lungs The particulates in the smoke stop the lungs self-cleaning mechanism from getting rid of pollution, particles and germs They reduce the ability of the immune system in the lungs to resist infections They lead to the airways becoming constricted, especially for people with a tendency to asthma

What happens beyond the lungs?

Very tiny particles and gases (such as carbon monoxide) get beyond the lungs and are absorbed into the bloodstream where they can affect other organs such as the heart, and the skeleton muscles. All these effects can lead to serious illnesses including pneumonia, chronic bronchitis, asthma, and even tuberculosis (TB) Although the levels of carbon monoxide from a cooking stove rarely lead to death, you are likely to know people who have suffered discomfort and health problems such as mild headaches, nausea and dizziness, and maybe even severe headaches from this invisible gas.

Conclusion
Following what I have presented to you concerning the dangerous pollutants, which are products of biomass wood burning, you realize that smoke is hazardous to your health, you need to do something about it to protect your health and that of your family, particularly your small children. Kitchen smoke in the home from cooking on wood, dung, crop waste and coal leads to the deaths of 1.6 million people every year throughout the world. Smoke is a silent killer - Take action now Thank you.

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Radio Program Item Signature tune Introduction Signature tune Prologue Play Topic Songs Winding up Signature tune Introduction and Prologue This programme is being brought to you by Intermediate Technology Development Group, whose work with Communities in Kisumu District, Kadibo and Winam divisions is being supported by the UK Department for International Development. The key message is that because of smoke in the home from cooking on wood, dung, crop waste and coal worldwide, over 1.6 million people die every year - It's a death toll greater than malaria. Every 20 seconds someone - usually a child or mother - dies from an illness because of smoke. Diseases related to Indoor Air pollution are of world concern and very little action has reached the grassroots level with the target groups to overcome this problem. Thus smoke has remained a killer of millions of people without them knowing about it. Currently world organizations: DFID, WHO, EPA, ITDG and various stake holders are taking action to alleviate indoor air pollution problems. Therefore Intermediate Technology Development Group working with the Ministry of Health brings to you this programme to help you know that kitchen smoke is a health burden and you need to start thinking now about taking action against it. It IS possible to reduce levels of smoke in the kitchen. Today on the programme is Dr Rosemary Obara, the MOH, Kisumu District, , Ministry of Health, , and Vincent Okello, a project officer with ITDG-EA Kisumu Office, who will give you tips and strategies on how to start immediately reducing the exposure of your family to kitchen smoke. Topic

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Why interventions use appliances to get rid of smoke? When to start the immediate, medium and long term perspectives. What methods to use Where to put them in your kitchen How to use them to get rid of smoke

Methods Of Improving Indoor Air Quality There are three main ways of reducing indoor air pollution from cooking activities. 1. By producing less smoke: improved stoves, improved fuels and fuel switching 2. By removing smoke from indoors: chimneys, flues, hoods and ventilation 3. By reducing exposure to smoke: changes in cooking practices and behavior, and kitchen design 1. Producing Less Smoke Improved Stoves In many developing countries of the world traditional cooking is usually done over a three-stone fire. Cooking in this way can produce lots of smoke, which has healthdamaging particles and gases (including carbon monoxide) which should be minimized. . A well-made stove allows sufficient air to get to the wood, and the stove should be made out of a material that does not swallow all the heat. Mud absorbs lots of heat, but you can mix it with other lightweight materials that let air into the mixture, and this will make the stove more efficient. Keep the flames rubbing against the pot so that they give the pot all their heat. This will also save you fuel. Why use fuel at all if you can find ways of cooking without it? A fireless cooker or a solar cooker can mean that you only have to use biomass fuel for a small part of the time. Contact ITDG if you want to know more about these technologies. Types of Improved Stoves Most stoves are built with an opening for fuel that is located below a hole or place for a cooking pot. In the Upesi stove, the heat utilization is increased by directing most of the heat to the pot. Less heat is lost to the surroundings due to insulation. The result is a stove which decreasing the amount of fuel needed and the time spent cooking. Stoves like this can be made out of many materials including earth, clay, brick and ceramic. Another variation on this stove concept can be seen in the shielded fire, which a simple three stone fire that is shielded with clay around it. These stoves will help reduce the amount of smokeand will keep your kitchen cleaner and safer for small children. They will also reduce the health problems related to carrying lots of fuel and give you more time to do other things. Improved Fuels and Fuel Switching In considering which stove to use, another factor is the kind of fuel that can be used for cooking. The quantity of damaging smoke particles and carbon monoxide produced depends highly on the type of fuel used. In ranking fuels based on emissions, the worst fuels are dung, crop wastes and charcoal. Firewood is slightly better and kerosene, gas and electricity are the safest.

If you can afford to use cleaner fuels, consider how much time it would save for you if you used LPG or a kerosene pressure stove and did not have to clean the soot off the outside of the pots or gather fuel. Do you keep cattle? biogas is a wonderful technology which gives you fuel to cook and good clean fertilizer for growing your crops. None of these fuels will give off substantial amounts of harmful emissions, so your health will be protected. However, though emissions are an important element in choosing a fuel, they are not the only deciding factor. Cost and availability of the fuels also needs to be considered, for instance, LPG and kerosene pressure stoves. They have the lowest emissions For these reasons using alternative or improved fuels is a way for you to improve indoor air quality. 2. Removing Smoke from Indoors Chimneys, Flues, Hoods and Ventilation Another method of improving indoor air quality is by removing the smoke produced by the stove to the outside of the house. This removes it from the home where it can cause the most damage. There are several ways of removing the smoke. Chimneys and Flues Chimney- stoves have a flue as part of the stove, allowing the smoke to exit to the outdoors. This type of stove removes the smoke directly from the chamber where the fuel is burning straight upwards as the flue provides a draft that draws out the smoke. Chimney stoves` can be constructed out of clay, cement, bricks, ceramic or metal. However, they need to be well maintained by cleaning the chimney every few weeks, or else they can create more even more smoke than a three-stone fire; so you have to be prepared to clean the chimney; regularly. But if they are properly designed and maintained, chimney stoves can greatly improve indoor air quality. Hoods Hoods work in much the same way as chimneys and flues but they are built over the stove. This can be a benefit because they can work with many types of stoves including open fires while still removing a good portion of the smoke. Hoods, however, also need to be cleaned, but this tends to less regularly than chimney stoves, and it is easier to do. Ventilation Improved ventilation can be another method of removing smoke from a home. The proper placement of eaves spaces can allow the smoke to escape just under the roof, and windows and doors can greatly increase the flow of air through a home and thus improve the removal of smoke. This could be the cheapest and simplest method of removing smoke from a home, thoughcultural feelings toward open windows and doors must be taken into consideration. 3. Reducing Exposure to Smoke Changes in Cooking Practices and Behaviors: Changes in cooking practices and behaviors can reduce exposure to smoke by either limiting the amount of time inhabitants are exposed or by setting up situations where inhabitants are distanced from the smoke. Ways of limiting the cooking time/exposure time include the preparation of food before lighting the fire so that the fire is used more efficiently, pre-soaking the foods in water,

and using any insulating containers available to keep food warm. However, these may require significant changes to cooking customs. Changes in household cooking behavior can be effective in decreasing exposure to smoke and can start immediately. Some of these changes can seem relatively easy, such as simply keeping children away from the fire, though this may be difficult if the cook is also the only available person to care for the child; sending children away could subject them to other dangers. . There are some areas, though, that we should think hard about: increasing education about the harm of air pollution so that the inhabitants can know to avoid being too close to the smoke if possible, better management of the cooking space to decrease time spent close to the fire better-informed decision making about the balance between air pollution problems and other dangers. Training the cook so that she gets the most benefit from technological solutions. Changes in Kitchen Design: What can you do to reduce exposure is the redesign of the kitchen set up. Kitchen redesign means that you can improve ventilation by where you site your doors, windows, and furniture. A big kitchen is usually less smoky, because any smoke that does escape from your fire mixes with lots more air, so the smoke is not so concentrated. If you place your stove near a window, make sure that you can close the window so that if the wind blows the smoke around, you can stop this happening. If you put your stove against a wall instead of in the middle of the room, it is easier to contain the smoke using a smoke hood or by installing eaves spaces. It also means that children are less likely to fall into it and get burnt. Another redesign that can drastically reduce exposure is to locate the kitchen in a separate room but remember that the cook will still be breathing in the smoke if she is working in there. However, if the stove is kept alight at night, remember that children who sleep in the same room can be affected by smoke. Songs Winding up Signature tune 120 150 30