As a researcher, I know the science: PM2.5 carries carcinogens deep into alveoli, causing DNA damage and chronic inflammation that leads to cancer. Chulha smoke adds polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are direct carcinogens.
But from my life in Bihar, I'll tell you, the "obvious" lab answer feels distant. My mother cooked on a chulha for 30 years in a poorly ventilated kitchen, breathing that smoke every day. She didn't get lung cancer; she got severe asthma and a permanent cough that the local doctor just calls 'weak lungs.' The real chalaan isn't just cancer; it's a lifetime of struggling to breathe while still needing to make dinner.
#fitness#health
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