{"id":26748,"date":"2023-06-09T19:08:13","date_gmt":"2023-06-09T11:08:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/?p=26748"},"modified":"2023-06-09T19:15:39","modified_gmt":"2023-06-09T11:15:39","slug":"pollutants-create-kitchen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/blog\/pollutants-create-kitchen\/","title":{"rendered":"Cooking Up a Storm! The Pollutants we Create in our Kitchen"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The health risks of air pollution are widely explored and publicized, but the relationship between cooking and indoor air quality is only just starting to gain momentum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Kitchens are like Mini Laboratories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

How we cook can generate a crazy level of pollutants. These pollutants can have a harmful effect on all parts of our body \u2013 especially children due to their underdeveloped immune systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"cooking<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Source: CLASP report<\/a> \u2018The Public Health and Environmental Impacts of Cooking with Gas\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

54% of UK Households Cook with Gas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s over 36 million people who may be inadvertently exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A study by CLASP<\/a>, found that cooking with gas and no ventilation emits levels of air pollution that exceed World Health Organisation air quality guidelines. In fact, a simulation of a UK kitchen found NO\u2082 levels in breach of the EU limits for around 15 hours a week<\/strong>. That\u2019s more than 2 hours every day!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This study also estimated that 500,000+ children in the UK experienced asthma symptoms linked to cooking with gas, over the last 12 months. If you have a gas cooker, you might want to look at switching to electric or induction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s Wrong with Gas?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Gas stoves and ovens emit carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO\u2082), and nitrogen dioxide (NO\u2082), which can linger for hours after the stove is switched off. Even when switched off, gas hobs leak methane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UK boilers have set NO\u2082 emission limits with incentives to upgrade to more efficient and climate-friendly heat pumps, but no such policies exist for cooking appliances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about Particulate Pollution?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How we cook determines the level of particles generated in our kitchen, and this is the same for whether we use gas or electric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"frying<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We know that eating fried food is bad for us, but the preparation process actually creates the most pollutants, generating up to 50% of the total particles produced during cooking?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a series of real-life tests and data-sharing, Devabhaktuni Srikrishna<\/a> checked the particle count of various cooking methods, posting his results on Twitter. His results showed that burnt butter and toast maxed out his particle counters, producing more particles than a burning cigarette!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ASTRONOMICALLY HAZARDOUS: With the buzz about NO2 from gas stoves, what about w\/ particles in kitchens? (h\/t @celinegounder<\/a>). This wk I did 10-min tests w\/ particle counters. SHOCKING. Lung cancer \ud83e\udec1 risks from specific kinds of COOKING \ud83c\udf73as bad or worse than smoking \ud83d\udeac? (1\/20) pic.twitter.com\/Bfyj16s9hf<\/a><\/p>— Devabhaktuni "Sri" Srikrishna (@sri_srikrishna) January 15, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote>