Abstract
Gas cooking is a significant source of airborne particles indoors. In order to assess health risk due to exposure from indoor particulate air pollution and to identify effective control strategies, data on size-differentiated aerosol particles released from different cooking methods are critically needed. In this study, controlled experiments were carried out in a domestic kitchen using a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) to investigate the size distribution of ultrafine particles emitted from cooking. Five different cooking methods were studied: steaming, boiling, stir-frying, pan-frying, and deep-frying. During the course of these experiments, the amount and type of food, and the heat setting on the gas stove were kept constant. Results showed that deep-frying caused the largest increase (a 24-fold increase) in particle number concentration to 6.0 × 105 cm-3 compared to a background concentration of 2.5 × 104 cm-3 and contained the highest proportion of nanoparticles (90%). This increase was then followed by pan-frying (1.1 × 105 cm-3, 78%), stir-frying (9.3 × 104 cm-3, 69%), boiling (6.9 × 104 cm-3, 62%), and steaming (5.4 × 104 cm-3, 55%), implying that cooking with oil produced more particles than cooking with water. It was also observed that steaming and boiling produced a peak in the number concentration of particles at < 10 nm with a second peak at 70 to 80 nm which can be attributed to condensation of water vapor on pre-existing particles. Particle distribution profiles obtained during frying operations were less-distinct compared to steaming and boiling, and demonstrated a modal diameter between 10 and 25 nm. Overall, this study provided comprehensive data on the physical characteristics of particles emitted from cooking, and could be used to evaluate the potential health impacts resulting from exposure to particles indoors.
Highlights
Several campaigns in the field of aerosol research have been carried out to measure submicron and ultrafine particles, especially in urban areas, an important knowledge gap persists with respect to indoor environments
A 2- to 24-fold increase in the total counts over the background level was observed during gas cooking, especially during oil-based cooking methods such as pan-frying, stir-frying and deep-frying, compared to water-based cooking methods such as steaming and boiling
This trend in the particle number concentrations can be attributed to high-temperature heating of cooking oil which presumably generated more particles than the boiling of water
Summary
Several campaigns in the field of aerosol research have been carried out to measure submicron and ultrafine particles, especially in urban areas, an important knowledge gap persists with respect to indoor environments. Few have paid special attention to the health effects of smaller particles, such as ultrafine and nanoparticles (particulate matter less than or equal to 100 nm and 50 nm, respectively). Both human and animal studies have revealed that ultrafine particles are deposited in all regions of the respiratory tract (Jaques and Kim, 2000; Yeh et al, 1997; Englert, 2004) and are even transported to extra-pulmonary organs, such as the liver, kidney and brain (Oberdorster et al, 2002; Oberdorster et al, 2004).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
