11 Causes of COPD

4. Living in an unhealthy home environment

Even a home where nobody smokes might be an unhealthy environment when the risks of developing COPD are taken into consideration. The inhabitants of developed countries are in an advantageous position since they can usually heat their homes and do their cooking in ways that do not generate fumes. Most people in the underdeveloped world are not so fortunate. They must cook and heat their homes with fossil fuels or animal dung, and this puts them at a much greater risk. Studies show that fumes from cooking are the primary cause of women getting COPD in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East in contrast to the USA where cigarette smoking is the principal culprit.