One of the most successful urban stove projects has been the Kenya Ceramic Jiko initiative. More than 500,000 stoves have been distributed since the mid-1980s. Despite the program's apparent success, penetration of this new stove was limited to middle-class neighborhoods in Nairobi. In addition, ensuring the quality of the new stoves has been difficult. In higher-income residences and commercial buildings, in both developing and developed countries, indoor pollutants are more likely to come from cigarette smoking, unvented or improperly vented stoves or heaters, airborne contaminants such as asbestos or molds and fungi, and the release of gases from construction materials and furnishings such as rugs and upholstery.
Several strategies are available to address indoor pollution in higher-income settings.
Smoking indoors and in public places can be discouraged through public information campaigns alerting residents to the dangers of secondhand smoke. To minimize combustion products indoors, city environmental managers can establish programs to check home heaters and stoves to ensure proper venting and maintenance. Local ordinances can be enacted to restrict the use of asbestos insulation and fireproofing in new construction. And building codes can direct attention to the provision of adequate ventilation, particularly in new commercial buildings with closed- loop heating and cooling systems. Nonetheless, cities often have considerable influence over how local utilities are run and over the energy consumption patterns of city residents.