GENERAL DISCUSSION
5.2 EFFECTS OF IAQ ON HEALTH FROM THE QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY
5.2.4 ENERGY USE
unit disrupts and witnesses their "romantic activities." The most common cause of this situation was unanimously echoed as the size of the houses being inadequate
become an extra burden on households with limited financial resources. Banks, Mlomo and Lujabe (1996), have also identified certain social, cultural determinants as important reasons for the delay in the exclusive use of electricity. For example; people often equated cooking with wood and/or coal as having particular cultural significance. Wood and coal has always played a role in bringing the family together in the evenings. Fire is seen as an important factor in fostering communication between families. In addition, many respondents indicated that their food was tastier, when cooked on an open fire.
Paraffin also plays an important role in the sharing of resources and communal cooking in times of financial hardships. This is said to increase community 'spirit' between households.
In a country like India, the problem of IAQ faced by a huge population is the usage of biomass as cooking fuels (Saksena, 1999; Prasad et al., 1992). Itis estimated that 76% of total households and 90% of rural households in India still rely primarily on biomass fuels. Ithas also been estimated that 410 000 - 570 000 premature deaths annually occur in India from Indoor air pollution,exposure to children under 5 and adult women (Smith, 1998). To overcome this problem, the most widely applied intervention is the introduction of improved stoves that emit less pollutants than traditional stoves. The government of India's National programme of improved cook-stoves (NPIC) has introduced some 33 million biomass based improved stoves in the rural areas during 1984 - 2000 (Indoor air Pollution, ESMAP,Newsletter,2001).
In a study by Mika (2002) in Zimbabwe, two new stove programmes were implemented, whose primary objectives was to conserve fuel wood as a solution to the scarcity of domestic fuels and stopping deforestation. The success of the programmes has been limited, due to a number of socio-economic problems such as functional acceptability, poverty and the inability to pay for improved stove, poor product quality, poor marketing and scarcity of appropriate raw material. Although most of the results from the study were of qualitative nature, the extent of smoke problems was found to be substantial.
Fuel wood is the dominant source of energy with more than 90% of the households using it for cooking or heating purposes.
Observation of smoke discolouration on the walls in the kitchen showed that 74% of the households had medium to high incidence of smoke with the rest having low incidence.
80% of the sampled households agreed that smoke is a problem as it causes eye irritation, coughs, flu and headaches. Ventilation was insufficient due to strong belief that opening of vents or windows provides witches with easy access to kitchens. Even though smoke is a problem, the households also indicated that it had its advantages. They felt that smoke was beneficial to them as it makes the wooden poles and grass thatch last longer.
The soot is applied to wounds to dry them,taken with water it treats stomach pains and is medication for ailing cattle.
Many households use potentially dangerous fuels and appliances in part because of their poor incomes, and in part to their limited access to suitable fuels. A retrospective analysis undertaken on 194 patients admitted to the Bums units at Woodstock Hospital, Cape Town,between January 1990 and June 1992,found that 33 patients sustained burns because of working with primus stoves. What was notable is that these patients were all black men and women, with an average age of32.5 years (range 14-68 years). Fires that involve energy sources such as wood or paraffin account for 75% of serious injuries in childhood occurring in informal settlements, and are responsible for 21% of child deaths (Mehlwana, 1998). Paraffin is used widelyby many low-income households because of its versatility and ability to perform multiple tasks simultaneously.
5.3 ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
Concerns pertaining to the environment and locality that surfaced from the study are as follows :-
Of an environmental nature, there was increased concern of the noxious odours experienced almost the entire day, which probably emanated from the sewer treatment works. To 35% of the residents, this posed a problem in terms of comfort. Methods and procedures of treatment, require examination.
Vermin, viz. flies,ants, cockroaches and snails, in all phases were experienced (32%
ofthe household complained).
The open drainage systems, open manholes, and the stagnation of water thereof, created excellent grounds for mosquitoe- breeding, which is a constant problem.
The findings in this study showed that poor ventilation,overcrowding and poor building designs and workmanship contribute to indoor surface moulds and dampness. The number of airbricks and lack thereof, indicated the poor ventilation that exists in the dwellings. The ratio between the number of occupants and rooms per house were also insufficient. With regards to the dwellings and their structures, the homes should be constructed and delivered with the health of the occupants in mind. The inadequacies arising from the absence of airbricks, windows, poor foundations, lack of proper and impervious wall and floor covering, all have a bearing to the lifestyle and health of the occupants.