194
C. Nabukalu and R. Giere
into the air during its combustion, thus representing an inhalation hazard
for exposed humans (Susaya, Kim, Ahn, Jung, & Kang, 2010). During
combustion of charcoal as a barbeque fuel, the emitted mercury is
also deposited onto foodstuffs, because mercury vapour is highly transferrable to other items and therefore, especially with indoor cooking,
lurks around homes or verandas for months to years (Pandey, Kim, Kang,
Jung, & Yoon, 2008). Exposure to lead causes neurodevelopmental delay,
intellectual deficits and cognitive disorders, whereas excessive manganese,
iron and copper can cause neuronal damage (Cusick et al., 2018).
Among other sources of heavy metal exposure, such as drinking water
and proximity to landfills, Cusick et al. (2018) studied charcoal use as
a potential source of blood poisoning among children in the Katanga
settlement of Kampala (Fig. 6.1). Their findings revealed a high blood
lead level in their sample of over 100 children, but their study was inconclusive with respect to the link between charcoal use and heavy metal
poisoning. It is crucial to note, however, that 97% of the participating
households primarily used charcoal as a fuel for cooking, with over 53%
engaging in indoor cooking, which should be avoided due to its particularly high potential to harm human health. Other side effects, such as
visible eye irritation and general air pollution, depend on the charcoal
quality and presence or absence of ventilation. Generally, the considerable side effects of charcoal combustion are still widely unknown to
consumers in sub-Saharan Africa, yet the informal nature of the trade
leaves no opportunities to record and share information on the material’s
qualities that may be known by producers.
6.3 Methodology
This book chapter is based on an extensive review of the literature on
charcoal as well as on data that were collected in Uganda through fieldwork, interviews and observations in October of 2017. On the supply
side, 18 study participants were producers, 3 were loaders/off-loaders, 3
final traders at market stalls and 4 logistics personnel. All interviews were
informal and designed to document the common practices in the charcoal supply chain, from production to its licit trade in final markets. The
C. Nabukalu and R. Giere
into the air during its combustion, thus representing an inhalation hazard
for exposed humans (Susaya, Kim, Ahn, Jung, & Kang, 2010). During
combustion of charcoal as a barbeque fuel, the emitted mercury is
also deposited onto foodstuffs, because mercury vapour is highly transferrable to other items and therefore, especially with indoor cooking,
lurks around homes or verandas for months to years (Pandey, Kim, Kang,
Jung, & Yoon, 2008). Exposure to lead causes neurodevelopmental delay,
intellectual deficits and cognitive disorders, whereas excessive manganese,
iron and copper can cause neuronal damage (Cusick et al., 2018).
Among other sources of heavy metal exposure, such as drinking water
and proximity to landfills, Cusick et al. (2018) studied charcoal use as
a potential source of blood poisoning among children in the Katanga
settlement of Kampala (Fig. 6.1). Their findings revealed a high blood
lead level in their sample of over 100 children, but their study was inconclusive with respect to the link between charcoal use and heavy metal
poisoning. It is crucial to note, however, that 97% of the participating
households primarily used charcoal as a fuel for cooking, with over 53%
engaging in indoor cooking, which should be avoided due to its particularly high potential to harm human health. Other side effects, such as
visible eye irritation and general air pollution, depend on the charcoal
quality and presence or absence of ventilation. Generally, the considerable side effects of charcoal combustion are still widely unknown to
consumers in sub-Saharan Africa, yet the informal nature of the trade
leaves no opportunities to record and share information on the material’s
qualities that may be known by producers.
6.3 Methodology
This book chapter is based on an extensive review of the literature on
charcoal as well as on data that were collected in Uganda through fieldwork, interviews and observations in October of 2017. On the supply
side, 18 study participants were producers, 3 were loaders/off-loaders, 3
final traders at market stalls and 4 logistics personnel. All interviews were
informal and designed to document the common practices in the charcoal supply chain, from production to its licit trade in final markets. The