Cooking, pollution linked to high blood pressure

Women in China who are exposed to pollution from cooking stoves and highways face a greater risk of high blood pressure, according to researchers.

A study published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences focused on the role of black carbon, which after carbon dioxide is the second leading human-caused emission driving climate change.

Black carbon comes from burning wood, coal and fossil fuels. About half of Chinese households cook with coal and wood, the researchers said.