The transition from childhood communicable to non-communicable disease burden is also exemplified by the fall in DALYs caused by household air pollution from solid fuels (despite the rise in its effects on cardiovascular diseases). Although the burden attributable to ambient particulate matter pollution has largely remained unchanged (3·2% [2·8–3·7] of global DALYs in 1990 vs 3·0% [2·6–3·4] in 2010), the contribution of lower respiratory tract infections had fallen sharply by 2010, with chronic diseases of adults being the dominant health outcome caused by this exposure.
