Household air pollution: rocket cookstove

The study found that replacing traditional three-stone fires with improved rocket mud stoves in Western Kenya led to significant reductions in peak carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations, though 48-hour mean reductions were smaller and less certain. While a correlation was found between kitchen CO and PM2.5, the authors conclude that CO is limited as a proxy for PM2.5 and that a combination of better stoves, ventilation, and cleaner fuels is necessary to improve health.

• The replacement of traditional three-stone fires with improved rocket mud stoves resulted in statistically significant reductions in peak carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations. Specifically, the 8-hour 95th percentile for kitchen CO decreased by 26.1 ppm (a 53% reduction) and personal CO decreased by 8.0 ppm (a 39% reduction).
• Reductions in 48-hour mean carbon monoxide (CO) exposures were lower and less definitive than peak reductions. Kitchen CO exposure decreased by 28% (3.1 ppm) and personal CO exposure decreased by 12% (0.9 ppm), but wide confidence intervals indicated that increases in exposure were possible.
• The study identified a good overall correlation (r = 0.73) between kitchen CO and PM2.5 concentrations, but noted that variations based on exposure setting and time of day limit the use of CO as a proxy for PM2.5.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2016). Household air pollution: rocket cookstove. https://www.sei.org/publications/household-air-pollution-rocket-cookstove/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Household air pollution: rocket cookstove. 2016. https://www.sei.org/publications/household-air-pollution-rocket-cookstove/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Household air pollution: rocket cookstove |date=29 December 2016 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/household-air-pollution-rocket-cookstove/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2016household, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Household air pollution: rocket cookstove}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2016}, month = dec, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/household-air-pollution-rocket-cookstove/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }