Indoor Air Quality and Kitchens?
So, the weather is just beginning to cool off….finally. And the leaves are beautiful and there is a slight crispness to the air in the mornings. For whatever reason that sends my mind to the kitchen. Weird, just stick with me. The fall finds me in the kitchen cooking and baking. Whereas, summer usually finds me outdoors grilling and such. So, back to the kitchen. It’s generally the hub of most homes. Unfortunately it has come to my attention that the kitchen can be one of the worst sources of indoor air pollution. How can the kitchen and all the wonderful things that come out of it be a source of pollutants? Great question.
According to an article in the New York Times “Cooking represents one of the single largest contributors, generating particulate matter … at concentrations four times greater than major haze events in Beijing.” Well that seems a little scary. Apparently, frying, grilling or toasting foods with gas and electric appliances creates particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, and volatile organic compounds. I actually never ever gave this any thought (unless of course something has been terribly burned and every door and window must be flung open in order just to breathe). Gas burning stoves seem to be worse in this area than electric, but electric is not completely without problems.
In fact, in a study in California performed by Dr. Brett Singer and his group at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory it was found that a significant portion of residences exceed outdoor air quality standards for several pollutants on a weekly basis as a result of cooking with gas burners. The study also reported that “If these were conditions that were outdoors the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] would be cracking down. But since it’s in people’s homes, there’s no regulation requiring anyone to fix it, reducing people’s exposure to pollutants from gas stoves should be a public health priority.” Again, that sounds a bit scary. So, aside from forming a Facebook page and raising awareness or whatever else one might do, what can we do in our own homes to combat this issue?
Once again, Dr. Singer to the rescue, “If every one of those homes were to use a range hood that exhausts to the outside and is even moderately effective, the number of homes exceeding the standards would drop by more than half” . Sounds easy enough. However, more interesting information that I came across stated that although pretty much every home has a range hood an alarming amount do not use them. And, even if the home has one and it is used regularly many do not work very well.
Here are some tips that I found from that very same lab for cooking and for buying an effective range hood.
Cooking Tips
— Always turn your fan on
— Cook on the back burners
— Use highest fan setting
— Clean grease traps periodically
— If you don’t have a hood, open windows
Tips For Buying A New Range Hood
— Look for one that covers the entire stovetop
— It should move 200 cubic feet of air per minute, certified by the Home Ventilating Institute
— Choose a noise rating of 3 sones or less for a quieter fan
— Choose a hood shape with a hollow space underneath for collecting fumes
Source: Lawrence Berkeley Lab
Hopefully you found this information very helpful. As always, Mr. B’s is here to help you improve your indoor breathing atmosphere. Please don’t hesitate to call or visit our site.
Sources: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/22/the-kitchen-as-a-pollution-hazard/?_r=0, http://newscenter.lbl.gov/2013/07/23/kitchens-can-produce-hazardous-levels-of-indoor-pollutants/, http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/09/10/219012757/kitchen-range-hoods-may-not-be-as-effective-as-they-claim
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