Building a Better Cook Stove for the World’s Poor (1/2)

Breathing smoke from cooking stoves or open fires is a common cause of lung infections in developing countries. Indoor air pollution is blamed for an estimated four thousand deaths every day, mostly women and children. A nonprofit group based in the American state of Colorado is working to save lives. Researchers at Envirofit International have developed a clean-burning cook stove that uses less fuel and reduces smoke.

They say it cuts the smoke and dangerous gases by up to eighty percent compared to open fires or simple traditional stoves. The cook stove was designed to produce the greatest amount of heat in the shortest amount of time and with the least amount of fuel. It can burn wood, animal waste or crop waste.

The Shell Foundation has formed a partnership with Envirofit to market the cook stoves. The British charity, established by the Shell Group in the year two thousand, has invested ten million dollars in a pilot project for India.

Martha Kohlhagen at Envirofit tells us that as many as ten million stoves will be sent to southern India by the end of this year. She says the stoves are being manufactured in China and will begin arriving in May.

参考译文：

在发展中国家，吸入烹饪或明火的烟雾是导致肺感染的常见病因。据估计，室内空气污染每天导致4000人死亡，其主要是妇女和儿童。美国科罗拉多州的一个非赢利组织正在努力挽救生命。Envirofit国际集团的研究人员发明了一种能够减少燃料和烟雾的清洁型柴炉。

他们表示这款柴炉相对于明火和传统的厨灶减少了80%的油烟和有害气体。它能够用最少的燃料，在最短的时间内产生最多的热量。其燃料可以是木材、动物排泄物以及作物废物。

壳牌基金与Envirofit合作来出售这款柴炉。这个由壳牌集团在2000年建立的慈善机构已经为印度的一个试点工程投资了一千万美元。

柴炉被送往印度南部。她表示这些柴炉是在中国生产的，将从五月开始运达印度。

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