How this South African woman entrepreneur's efforts are changing our world

Can you imagine smoking two packs of cigarettes a day in your car, with the window rolled up, and your kids in the back? I hope not! Here's a public health problem not enough people are talking about: indoor air pollution, which kills between 3.5 and 4.3 million people a year, most of whom are women and infants.

This is because about 3 billion people around the world--mostly in impoverished parts of Africa and Asia--still cook and heat the inside of their homes by burning coal, charcoal, dung, wood or plant residue, according to Vox. These homes often have poor ventilation, and the smoke can cause all sorts of respiratory diseases. Women and children pay the heaviest price from indoor air pollution, as they spend more time at home breathing in smoke and soot from leaky coal and wood stoves than men. Researchers don't even have a full understanding of the extended effects of smoke inhalation on children, which is extremely scary.

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