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One in three people worldwide is at risk of premature death due to indoor household pollution, a new report reveals.

The report published in the Lancer Respiratory Medical Journal, points to the use of charcoal and other wood-based fuels in simple stoves as the culprit in Asian and African countries like India and Nigeria. According to estimates in the report, 3.5 to 4 million people were killed in 2010 due to indoor pollution, which is three times outdoor pollution levels experienced on a busy London street.

According to Yahoo News, 85 % of Indian rural households use firewood for cooking and heating. In Nigeria nearly hundred thousand people die annually due to indoor pollution.  Worldwide, around 600 million families are at risk for diseases like respiratory infections, COPD, asthma and lung cancers.

"Women and children are particularly susceptible to the toxic effects of pollution and are exposed to the highest concentrations. Interventions should target these high-risk groups and be sufficient quality to make the air clean," the authors of the Lancet report told CBC News.

IB Times mentioned the authors explaining that despite the growing availability of advanced cooking equipment like LPG and solar stoves, their adoption has not been rampant. The authors reasoned high cost, efficiency and their cultural suitability in traditional homes, are inhibitive factors to adoption these cooking practices. They however called for an immediate intervention to tackle the problem of indoor pollution.

"All of the evidence we examined in this commission points to a serious need for improved commitment to tackling the problem of household air pollution.  Scientists and health professionals in countries where household air pollution is still widespread need to work with governments and international health agencies to increase awareness of the huge toll that it is exacting on the population," said one of the authors Professor William Martin