Air pollution: 'I dey breathe bad air everyday to keep my family alive'
'I know say di smoke and air from di firewood wey I dey use daily dey harmful but I no get option and na im dey keep my family alive for now." Dis na wetin Halima Sani wey dey cook and sell popular northern Nigeria food 'danwake' start with for her chat with BBC.
Halima dey put firewood as she dey cook Danwake to sell Monday 7 September of every year na United Nations international day for clean air wey UN say dey aimed at reducing deaths from harmful chemicals wey dey for air. UN also add say by 2050, di number of pipo wey go die from dirty air and oda pollution go increase by 50 percent. '12 years hustle' Halima wey dey stay Kano city for northern Nigeria tell BBC say for 12 years now, she dey spend an average of eight hours every day dey inhale smoke from firewood wey she dey use cook di 'danwake' wey she dey sell. "Na wetin I earn from dis business I dey use support my family for house, all my four children dey school and dia father no get work, so for 12 years now, na dis danwake business dey helep us, so di effect of di smoke from firewood no dey even disturb me at all." Regarding her health, Halima tok say all dis years she neva suffer any health challenge because of di dirty air wey she dey inhale for most of di day. "I no dey feel anything for now but wetin dey fear me be say di smoke fit dey pile up to disturb later but now I dey very okay." On why she no gree move to next level and begin to dey use gas, Halima say gas too cost compared to di N200 firewood wey she dey use daily. "Nobody wey no like beta thing but di truth be say i no fit afford gas now as e too cost compared to di N200 wey I dey use buy firewood daily." Finally, Halima say her dream na for children to finish school get beta work and comot her from dis suffer so she too go enjoy life like oda pipo. Halima say she dey spend about 8 hours with firewood smoke daily Wetin doctor tok about pipo like Halima wey dey breathe bad air According to di World Health Organisation, WHO, air pollution dey kill reach seven million pipo around di world every year. Di join bodi add say say pipo dey die prematurely for developing kontries because of household air pollution. WHO say exposure to smoke from cooking fire dey kill reach 3.8 million pipo prematurely every year mostly for low and middle -income kontries.To dey burn fuel like coal and wood wey Halima dey use dey cause pollution wey fit damage health. Dr Abubakar Nagoma wey dey work for Aminu Kano, di biggest hospital for Kano state wey Halima dey stay, tok say breathing dirty air and smoke from firewood get serious health implications. "As Halima yan say she no dey feel anything for now no mean say problem no go come for future, breathing of polluted air fit lead many kain of lung problems for body including cancer." "Some of dis problems fit take time before dem show and e get some wey go show early like if pesin get Asthma or bronchitis but di oda problems fit even take years before dem show face and na serious problems." Di doctor advise say di best thing na to avoid firewood usage and oda places wey get dirty air in order to avoid health problems.