<
https://phys.org/news/2025-02-plastic-cooking-emerging-environmental-crisis.html>
'A Curtin University-led paper, "The Use of Plastic as a Household Fuel among
the Urban Poor in the Global South" published in
Nature Cities, has called
for action to reduce the burning of plastics for heating and cooking, a common
yet hazardous practice emerging in millions of households in developing nations
due to a lack of traditional energy sources.
Researchers investigated the energy consumption of developing countries in
Africa, Asia and Latin America, finding many were unable to afford clean fuels
such as gas or electricity.
The team also found urban sprawl had made traditional fuels such as wood and
charcoal difficult to find, while a lack of waste management meant plastic
waste was in abundance.
Lead researcher Dr. Bishal Bharadwaj, from the Curtin Institute for Energy
Transition (CIET) said there were many risks involved.
"Burning plastic releases harmful chemicals such as dioxins, furans and heavy
metals into the air, which can have a range of health and welfare impacts such
as lung diseases," Dr. Bharadwaj said.
"These risks are particularly pronounced among women and children, as they
spend more time at home.
"But the pollution doesn't just stay in households who burn it: it spreads
across neighborhoods and cities, affecting everyone."'
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
