SynthesisBMJ open2023
Health risks associated with the production and usage of charcoal: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Child health implications of transitioning from charcoal to electric cooking in Uganda: a qualitative stakeholder study.BMJ paediatrics open · 2026Article
- Spatial, temporal, and spatiotemporal variations of chronic respiratory disease in charcoal-producing areas, northwest Ethiopia.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Hypertension and Elevated Pulse Pressure Responsive to Biomass Pollutants Exposures in Young Workers From the Democratic Republic of Congo: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.Journal of the American Heart Association · 2025Article
- Effects of chronic exposure to biomass pollutants on cardiorespiratory responses and the occurrence of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction in healthy men.Physiological reports · 2025Article
- Trends, seasonal variations and forecasting of chronic respiratory disease morbidity in charcoal producing areas, northwest Ethiopia: time series analysis.Frontiers in epidemiology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Charcoal production and utilisation are linked to various health issues and occupational hazards. However, to our knowledge, no systematic review has primarily focused on the health implications of charcoal production and its use while distinguishing charcoal from other solid fuels such as wood and coal.
objectivesThis systematic review presents a synthesis of the evidence on the health risks associated with producing and using charcoal across the world.
designSystematic review using a systematic narrative synthesis approach. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE (through Ovid interface), CINAHL, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library and SCOPUS, from inception to 26 February 2021. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: Peer-reviewed journal articles reporting empirical findings on the associations between charcoal usage/production and health parameters. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Two independent reviewers extracted data and assessed the quality of primary studies.
resultsOur findings showed that charcoal production and usage are linked with specific adverse health outcomes, including respiratory diseases (n=21), cardiorespiratory and neurological diseases (n=1), cancer (n=3), DNA damage (n=3), carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning (n=2), physical injury (n=2), sick house syndrome (n=1), unintentional weight loss and body mass index (BMI) reduction (n=2), increase in blood pressure (n=1) and CO death (n=1). Among the included articles that reported respiratory diseases (n=21), there was one case of asthma and tuberculosis and two cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
conclusionsThis review links charcoal production/usage and some associated human health risks. These include respiratory diseases and other non-respiratory illnesses such as sick-building syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, DNA damage, CO poisoning and death, unintentional weight loss and BMI reduction, and physical injuries.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.