Objective Recognition of Cough as a Non-invasive Biomarker for Exposure to Cooking Oil Fumes

Abstract

Cooking oil fumes contain massive aerial pollutants and may cause unpleasant indoor environments. Exposure to oil fumes often induces uncomfortable feelings and general symptoms. Among them, cough is a common symptom that is associated with diverse respiratory diseases. In this paper, we conducted controlled experiments in a kitchen chamber to evaluate the possibility of using cough as a non-invasive biomarker for oil fumes exposure. The participants were invited to cook typical Chinese dishes under different ventilation conditions. The particulate concentration and participants’ cough frequency were measured during cooking. Results showed that the cough frequency was significantly correlated with the PM2.5 mass concentration in the breathing zone. Besides, the automatic recognition achieved an overall accuracy of 88.4%. Therefore, cough was regarded as a promising biomarker for assessing the COF exposure, which might contribute to better understanding the mechanisms of health risks related to aerial pollutants.