Food Storage

9%

4% 34%

Refrigerator

Refregirator Plastic Container None Others

53%

Figure 2 Distribution of household based on food storage.

The chart shows that 53 % of the 292 surveyed households are using plastic container as means to store food. On the other hand, 34% are already using refrigerators, 9% still does not have means to store food due to either scarcity of resources or there is none left for keeping, and there is 4% who uses other means for storage such as basket. The above data can possibly pose a serious health issue with regards to storing of food to plastic containers which actually has the greatest percentage due to its affordability. Plastic containers and baskets may harbor

microorganisms. The bacteria may contaminate the food itself and create a risk of gastrointestinal distress or food poisoning. Furthermore, plastic is one of the major toxic pollutants of our time, plastic pollutes earth, air and water. Storing in food in basket and plastic will shorten the edibility span of foods as well. (United

States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service: Microwave Ovens and Food SafetyRead more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/173172what-are-the-dangers-of-plastic-food-storage-containers/#ixzz21Yk5nL5n http://www.livestrong.com/article/173172-what-are-the-dangers-of-plastic-foodstorage-containers/#ixzz21YjbJcZn, Pharma correspondent April 21, 2007; http://www.dancewithshadows.com/business/pharma/plastic.asp) Using refrigerator entails expensive cost which may rationalize that only 34% of the total households are using such. However, refrigerator storage is an important way of keeping the food safe. The cool temperature helps to keep the food fresh and slow the growth of most harmful microbes. It also lengthens the duration of the foods edibility. (http://www.eufic.org/article/en/food-safetyquality/safe-food-handling/artid/food-storage-refrigerator/) But, the negative side lies if the family would just stick to the convenience of eating canned goods, or
buying foods from canteens for it may indicate health risk.

Means of Cooking Food

2%

23%

Gas Wood Charcoal Others 57% 21%

Figure 2 Distribution of household based on means of cooking.

The graph above shows that almost all of the 292 households use charcoal as their means of cooking. About 57% are using charcoal while only 23% uses wood, 21% uses gas, and 2% uses other means such as butane. The area of the community has minimal trees and most of such situates along the side of the river. Thus, most of the community people who utilize some of these trees for cooking are the ones who reside near the river. Others would just buy pre-cut woods. This is the reason why the ones who are using charcoals have a higher percentage than the ones who are using woods since charcoals are cheaper than wood and at the same time charcoals are easy to handle with regards to the size and weight. Such rationale would also apply as to why the percentage of gas users is higher than that of the woods because those who cannot afford the expensive cost of gas where better convenience lies and forced to stick to alternatives would choose charcoal more than woods in relation to the mentioned availability, cost, and convenience.

Based on current studies, the community opted the better alternative as they chose charcoal over wood. This is because, according to a study, wood users were exposed to significantly higher levels of particulate pollution during cooking time than charcoal users and users of modern fuels (LPG and electricity). Reducing wood use would likely improve acute respiratory health effects and incidence of floods. To reduce the health impact of wood smoke exposure, it appears that the least costly and quickest method would be to encourage charcoal use to a greater extent, although high carbon monoxide levels would have to be addressed. (University of Gteborg, Department for Human
Ectology, Gteborg, Sweden. Environ Health Perspect. 1996 Sep;104(9):980-5.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8899378)

Cooking

with

charcoal

can

be

dangerous if not done properly especially when based on the distance of houses in Purok Taal I. (Kovach, V. May 12, 2011

http://www.livestrong.com/article/440489-is-charcoal-cooking-a-healthy-option/; University of Texas Health Center at Houston: Fire up the Barbecue; Karen Krakower Kaplan and Phil Montgomery; May 2009)