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Study: Unflued stoves, solid fuels associated with increased risk of cataract

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Cooking with unflued indoor stoves that use solid fuel such as wood or dung increases the risk of developing cataract, a study suggests.

Researchers conducted a hospital-based, case-control study on the India-Nepal border that included 206 female patients with cataract and 203 control subjects of similar age with refractive errors. Patients ranged in age from 35 to 75 years.

The women were subjected to a standardized questionnaire.

Logistic regression analysis included adjustment for age, literacy, housing type, ventilation, type of lighting, incense use and outdoor work. After these adjustments, the odds ratio for using a flued solid-fuel stove was 1.23 compared to use of a stove that burned cleaner fuels such as kerosene. Use of an unflued solid-fuel stove had an odds ratio of 1.90. Lack of kitchen ventilation was an independent risk factor for cataract, with an odds ratio of 1.96.

“This study provides confirmatory evidence that use of solid fuel in unflued indoor stoves is associated with increased risk of cataract in women who do the cooking,” the researchers said. “Replacing unflued stoves with flued stoves would greatly reduce this risk, although cooking with cleaner-burning fuels would be the best option.”