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Background: Most households in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) rely on biomass fuel for daily cooking. Studies investigating the association between early life exposure to household air pollution and health outcomes in children in LMICs are limited., Objective: To investigate the effects of biomass fuel for cooking and different types of stoves on wheeze and allergies in children of rural Sri Lankan communities., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 452 children aged 5 years and younger in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Mothers completed a questionnaire on the use of biomass fuel and respiratory and allergic outcomes in children. The associations between biomass fuel and outcomes were analyzed using logistic regression models, adjusting for potential confounders., Results: Use of biomass fuel for cooking was associated with increased risk of childhood wheeze (aOR 2.29; 95% CI 1.04-5.08) and eczema (aOR 4.57; 95% CI 1.24-16.89) compared with households that used clean fuel (liquid petroleum gas (LPG), electricity and/or biogas). Among households that used biomass fuel, use of traditional biomass stoves was associated with a higher risk of childhood wheeze (aOR 2.95; 95% CI 1.19-7.33), allergic rhinitis (aOR 3.01; 95% CI 1.42-6.39), and eczema (aOR 7.39; 95% CI 1.70-32.06) compared with households that used clean stoves., Conclusion: Children living in households that use biomass fuel, especially traditional biomass cookstoves, have a higher risk of wheeze and allergic diseases. Access to affordable clean energy sources that reduce air pollution may help improve the health of children in rural LMICs., Supplemental data for this article is available online at at www.tandfonline.com/ijas .

We used data from multiple sources to estimate the incidence of fatal and non-fatal road traffic injuries in Sri Lanka in 2005. We validated the accuracy of the data from the national traffic police by comparing with estimates based on national death registration. For estimating the incidence and patterns of non-fatal injuries, we used a nationally represented health survey (World Health Survey), and data on hospital admissions from a rural setting (Galle district). We estimate that in the year 2005, approximately 2300 people died in Sri Lanka due to road traffic crashes, approximately 300,000 were injured in non-fatal crashes and approximately 140,000 received care for their injuries at hospitals. While the road traffic death rate in Sri Lanka is low compared with other low-income countries, it has been steadily rising for several years. Although young adults are at high risk in non-fatal crashes, the elderly have the highest death rate. Pedestrians and bicyclists account for more than half of all road traffic deaths and riders of motorised two-wheelers accounted for an additional 13%. The government of Sri Lanka should act immediately to stop the needless loss of life by implementing the recommendations of the 2004 World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention.