Four people have died of carbon monoxide poisoning in the ger districts of Ulaanbaatar and 35 have been hospitalized after burning the smokeless briquettes which have been introduced as the official alternative to coal. The deaths occurred between 3 and 5 October. According to Health Ministry, 16 people were discharged from the hospital; six people are getting better but one is still in intensive care.

This year the government put a ban on burning coal in the Mongolian capital where the winter temperature falls to as low as -40 Celsius. Ulaanbaatar is one of the most air-polluted cities of the world. Smoke from shantytown districts where over 220,000 families live, is the main culprit of Ulaanbaatar’s air-pollution.

In March, the Mongolian government decided to totally ban the use of raw coal. Household offenders will be fined 300,000 tugriks (USD 113), while large businesses will be fined 3 million tugriks (USD 1,134). In the light of the ban, the government is putting an alternative product on the market made from semi-coke, a by-product of coal. While more expensive, these fuel-efficient briquettes are said to burn twice as long and emit far less fumes.

The four briquette deaths, right at the start of the cold season, will certainly raise questions as to the use of the briquettes.