Health Impact Assessment of Biomass Burning for Energy Use in Households in Sokoto State, North West Nigeria

Household air pollution from biomass fuel combustion is a leading environmental risk factor contributing to respiratory disease, cardiovascular morbidity, and premature death in low-income settings. This study conducted a health impact assessment of biomass burning for domestic energy use in rural and peri-urban households in Sokoto State, North West Nigeria. Household air quality measurements of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), carbon monoxide, and black carbon were conducted in 100 households using biomass fuels and twenty control households using liquefied petroleum gas. A cross-sectional health survey was administered to 800 household members, including clinical assessment for respiratory and cardiovascular conditions. Exposure estimation and comparative risk analysis were conducted using exposure-response functions from the global health literature. Results showed that twenty-four-hour mean PM2.5 concentrations in biomass-using households averaged 187 micrograms per cubic metre, compared to 18 micrograms per cubic metre in gas-using households. Women and children who spent more time near cooking areas experienced the highest personal exposures. Spirometric values were significantly lower among biomass-exposed women compared to LPG users. Attributable fractions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and acute lower respiratory infections were estimated at thirty-eight percent and twenty-nine percent, respectively, in the exposed population. The study provides a locally grounded health impact estimate that is currently absent from the Nigerian literature. Recommendations include scaled deployment of improved cookstoves, LPG subsidy expansion, and household air quality monitoring integration into primary healthcare. Keywords: biomass burning, household air pollution, health impact assessment, Sokoto, respiratory disease.