Cooking Smoke and Your Lungs: How Household Air Pollution Affects Nigerian Families and What You Can Do

 

Last reviewed: October 16, 2026 | By Ugochukwu

For many Nigerian families, the kitchen is the most polluted room in the house. Cooking on firewood, charcoal or kerosene fills the air with smoke and tiny particles that families breathe in every day. This is called household air pollution, and it is one of the biggest environmental health risks in the world.

The scale of the problem

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that household air pollution was responsible for about 2.9 million deaths in 2021, including more than 309,000 deaths of children under five [1]. It is caused by cooking over open fires or simple stoves using kerosene or solid fuels such as wood, charcoal and crop waste [1].

Nigeria is heavily affected. One 2024 study in Energy Strategy Reviews reported that over 175 million Nigerians rely on traditional biomass for cooking, and that more than 128,000 people died in Nigeria in 2019 from household air pollution linked to these fuels [2].

The poor knowledge of these risks is part of the problem. A study of households in Isiohor community in Edo State found that many residents used kerosene or firewood and had poor knowledge of the health effects of prolonged smoke exposure [3].

How smoke harms the body

Cooking smoke contains fine particles that reach deep into the lungs and bloodstream. We explain how this works in our article on indoor PM2.5 and the lungs. WHO links household air pollution to stroke, ischaemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer [1]. Of the deaths from household air pollution, 32% are from ischaemic heart disease, 23% from stroke and 6% from lung cancer [1].

Women and children bear the heaviest burden, because they usually cook and collect firewood and spend the most time near the fire [1].

Signs of smoke exposure include a persistent cough, wheezing, watering or burning eyes, headaches and frequent chest infections in children.

Carbon monoxide: the second danger

Incomplete burning also produces carbon monoxide. Never bring a charcoal fire or grill indoors for cooking or heating, and never use a gas range or oven to heat a room [4]. Read our article on generator fumes to learn the warning signs of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Cleaner ways to cook

WHO says it is essential to expand the use of clean fuels and technologies. These include solar, electricity, biogas, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), natural gas, alcohol fuels, and biomass stoves that meet WHO emission targets [1].

We know cost is the main barrier. If you cannot switch completely, small steps still help:

• Use a cleaner fuel for part of your cooking. Even using LPG or electricity for quick meals cuts the time you spend in smoke.
• Cook outdoors or in a separate, well-ventilated kitchen with windows or a chimney that carries smoke out of the house.
• Keep children and babies away from the fire.
• Use dry wood. Wet wood makes more smoke.
• Cover pots and use a pressure cooker if you have one, to shorten cooking time and fuel use.
• Do not sleep in a closed room with a burning charcoal or kerosene stove.

If you use LPG, check hoses and connections regularly, keep the cylinder upright and in a ventilated place, and never look for a leak with a naked flame. If you smell gas, open windows, turn off the cylinder and keep flames and switches away.

What communities and leaders can do

Families cannot solve this alone. The 2024 Energy Strategy Reviews study stresses the urgent need to accelerate Nigeria’s transition to clean cooking, and projects that without faster action, annual deaths from household air pollution could rise sharply [2]. Community groups, health workers and local leaders can help by sharing information, supporting stove-switching schemes and encouraging safer kitchens.

When to see a doctor

See a health worker if you or your child has a cough that does not go away, repeated wheezing, fast or difficult breathing, or frequent chest infections. Seek urgent care for severe breathing difficulty.

Conclusion

Smoke from cooking is a hidden health threat in Nigerian homes, but it is a preventable one. Every step toward cleaner fuel, better ventilation or keeping children away from the fire reduces the risk.

This article gives general health information and is not a substitute for medical advice. If you are unwell, see a qualified health worker.

About the author: Ugochukwu Dike holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Anatomy from the University of Calabar and is studying B.Sc. Environmental Health Science at the National Open University of Nigeria.

References

1. World Health Organization. Household air pollution fact sheet. https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/household-air-pollution-and-health
2. Yetano Roche M., Slater J., Malley C., Sesan T., Eleri E. O. Towards clean cooking energy for all in Nigeria: Pathways and impacts. Energy Strategy Reviews, vol. 53, 2024. https://doaj.org/article/acf676edb35c417e8d67458236d95708
3. Household cooking fuel use and indoor air pollution in Isiohor community, Edo State, Nigeria. PubMed Central. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4299844
4. US Consumer Product Safety Commission. “Protect Your Family from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.” https://www.cpsc.gov/safety-education/safety-education-centers/carbon-monoxide-information-center/protect-your-family-from-carbon-monoxide-poisoning--