COMMENTARY |
https://doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-11010-1108 |
Areca Nut Husk: A Burning Issue?
1–3Department of Respiratory Medicine, KVG Medical College & Hospital, Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka, India
Corresponding Author: Anirudha Katipalla, Department of Respiratory Medicine, KVG Medical College & Hospital, Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka, India, Phone: +91 8762119504, e-mail: anikatipalla@gmail.com
Received: 11 April 2023; Accepted: 14 April 2024; Published on: 18 June 2024
ABSTRACT
Biomass fuel exposure has been one of the leading causes of many respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In a diverse agriculture-driven country like India, the major substances used as biomass fuels are the by-products of agriculture, which become locally available for use, and hence, this varies according to regional availability. This article tries to explore one such material, a by-product of the commercialized crop of areca nut, its husk as a biomass fuel. The Malabar coastal region of South India is a major producer of areca nut, and burning the areca nut husk as biomass fuel is a significant etiological factor for respiratory health in the population of this region. There is insufficient scientific evidence on its impact on the various aspects of human health, most importantly respiratory disorders. Hence, this is an attempt to incite the scientific community to develop robust evidence for the future.
How to cite this article: Katipalla A, Ballal P, Kumbarkoppal Shivanna N. Areca Nut Husk: A Burning Issue? Indian J Respir Care 2024;13(2):140–141.
Source of support: Nil
Conflict of interest: None
Keywords: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Environmental tobacco smoke exposure, Indoor and outdoor environment, Respiratory health, Risk factor
ORCID
Anirudha Katipalla https://orcid.org/0009-0008-2913-6119
REFERENCES
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COMMENTARY
Biomass fuels refers collectively to the group of biological materials, both flora and fauna and their derivatives present in a specific area, which are used as fuel for cooking or home heating.1 Commonly used forms are wood (as unprocessed wood or as charcoal), animal dung cakes, crop residues, straw, corncobs, dried grass, and many others. Biomass fuels are considered low-efficiency fuels owing to incomplete combustion, producing a greater number of pollutants. The situation is further worsened owing to poor cooking practices and inadequate ventilation settings, adding to indoor air pollution.
One substance that is used as biomass fuel that is of particular interest is the areca nut husk (Fig. 1), especially in the region of South India—the Malabar coast as well as the coastal and Malnad regions of Karnataka—where the areca nut is one of the predominant commercially farmed crops. Areca catechu is a species of palm that is widely cultivated across the Southeast Asian region, with India being the largest commercial producer. It holds wide cultural and traditional significance across the region.2 The most common form of usage of areca is the nut/seed of the fruit (a form of berry), which is consumed raw or processed into commercial products such as pan masala, mawa, and supari. Chewing of areca nut is hypothesized to promote alertness, enhance stamina, create an overall feeling of well-being, and euphoria. In addition to its deworming property, the traditional Ayurvedic system emphasizes the medicinal properties of the areca nut as a remedy for halitosis.3 The areca nut husk has been commercially employed in the manufacture of ethanol,4 as a natural reinforcement in biodegradable polymer composites,5 as a supporting cementitious material,6 and as a commercial fiber source. The leftover areca nut husk, which is a form of agricultural waste, is sometimes used to produce compost in compost pits and thereby recycle it as manure.
Figs 1A to C: (A) Areca nut tree; (B) Dried areca nut (cut open); (C) Dried areca nut husk
The predominant alkaloid in the areca nut is arecoline, which is found to be associated with an increased risk of exacerbations of bronchial asthma7 as well as with reduced FEV1 values.8 Chewing areca nut has been implicated as a risk factor in potentially malignant conditions like oral submucous fibrosis9 as well as with schizophrenia,10 diabetes mellitus,11 and certain cancers of the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract.10
A quite disregarded aspect that is of importance to respiratory well-being is the frequent practice of using the dried areca nut husks as a fuel for various purposes like cooking, heating water for bathing, etc. (Fig. 2). This form of biomass fuel usage receives little attention elsewhere, maybe because this practice is not very frequent in regions that do not cultivate this plant.
Fig. 2: Dried areca nut husk being used as biomass fuel
Previous studies, mostly done on one or the other form of wood smoke, have shown that burning of biomass fuels produced chemical compounds, the majority (>90%) of which were in the inhalable size range with mean aerodynamic particulate matter diameters <10 μm (PM10).11 A significant number of them were also among the proven respiratory irritants or toxins such as carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen and sulfur oxides (NO2, SO2), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzopyrenes, volatile organic compounds, and free radicals.
One of the studies where a quantitative measurement of the elemental composition of areca nut husk was studied revealed aluminum oxide, silicon dioxide, and phosphorus pentoxide as the major compounds. It was found to produce ash of 5.76% of the initial weight during pyrolysis under ideal conditions for combustion.12 However, when the same is used as a fuel in households, it is rarely possible that the combustion is complete, and hence, it is definitely a possibility that through incomplete combustion, it will produce more harmful substances, both in number and volume.
This aspect of burning of areca nut husk is almost completely forgotten. It has never been studied formally pertaining to its impact on respiratory health of the people in the villages where the areca nut is farmed. The risk of indoor air pollution is extremely high owing to already existing inadequate ventilatory environments.13 The smoke produced by this burning of areca nut husk, hence, forms an unexplored part of the “environmental tobacco smoke.”14 The smoke can be a trigger factor for reactive airway diseases like bronchial asthma and can be a risk factor for the etiopathogenesis of other respiratory conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or even lung malignancies.
With the growing encouragement for cultivation of areca nut due to its widespread uses, it is assumable that areca nut husk is here to stay as a source of fuel, at least in the regions where the cultivation is commercial. Further studies are called for to understand this uncharted type of biomass fuel that poses a serious threat to the respiratory well-being of rural residents.