Gas cooking, kitchen ventilation, and exposure to combustion products

Abstract

We evaluated a questionnaire-based system for classifying homes into groups with distinctly different chances of accumulating combustion products from cooking appliances. The system was based on questions about type of cooking appliance, type and use of ventilation provisions, and kitchen size. Real-time measurements were made of CO, CO(2), temperature, and water vapor, and passive sampling was performed of nitrogen oxides, over a week-long period in 74 kitchens. During the measurements, inhabitants kept a diary to record appliance use time and use of ventilation provisions. The questionnaire-based and diary-based home classifications for the 'Chance of Accumulation of Combustion Products' (CACP) turned out to agree fairly well. For CO(2) as well as for CO a significant difference between the 'high' and 'low' CACP groups was found for the mean accumulation in the kitchen during cooking of the combustion generated concentrations. These facts are considered to be important experimental evidence of the CACP stratification being valid for our study population. In the homes studied, NO(2) as well as CO concentrations were found to be lower compared with previous studies in The Netherlands. Practical Implications Previous studies on indoor combustion product dispersal conducted in the early- to mid-1980s in the Netherlands showed much higher NO(2) and CO concentrations than the present study. Apparently, the removal of combustion products formed during cooking is more efficient in the (mostly newer) homes that we studied than in the homes studied in the early- to mid-1980s. More detailed knowledge of kitchen situations is needed to improve the CACP model. Future studies can achieve this by using questionnaires on the kitchen situation, diaries and real-time measurements of the combustion products under consideration.

Atopic dermatitis and indoor use of energy sources in cooking and heating appliances

“…Although indoor air pollution is a huge public health concern, little research has been conducted on the relationship between domestic fuels and AD [6,12]. Respiratory disorders, asthma and rhinitis are the main studied outcomes because the inhalation of pollutants is considered to be the main source of exposure.…”

“…However, the association between the use of domestic fuels and AD has not been widely studied to date; there remains lack of consensus. For instance, allergic sensitisation of the skin and allergic symptoms have been reported to appear when using gas and kerosene [6], yet other studies did not find this association [12]. Likewise, most of the evidences regarding this issue are based on studies performed in developing countries, where the poor quality of home devices constitutes a real risk for children’s respiratory health, especially the use of biomass fuels [13,14].…”

Bronchial Hyperresponsiveness in Women Cooks and Cleaners

“…Over the last decade, several studies have examined the effects of occupational exposure of cooks and cleaners of both sexes, producing somewhat inconsistent results (22)(23)(24)(25). In our study, all occupation groups (cooks, cleaners, and control office workers) consisted of subjects with similar demographic characteristics.…”

“…Spirometry, including measurements of forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV 1 ), FEV 1 /FVC ratio, and maximal expiratory flow at 50 %, 25 %, and 25-75 % of FVC (MEF 50 , MEF 25 , and MEF , respectively), was performed in all subjects at the IOH-WHO Department of Cardiorespiratory Functional Diagnostics using spirometer Ganshorn SanoScope LF8 (Ganshorn Medizin Electronic GmbH, Germany). We recorded the best of three reproducible measurements.…”

Seasonal variation of indoor and outdoor air quality of nitrogen dioxide in homes with gas and electric stoves

“…Nitrogen dioxide is an urban air pollutant whose emissions in outdoor air are mainly caused by road traffic, power plants, and industrial processes, while combustion appliances such as gas stoves and heaters as well as vented appliances with defective installations are the principal indoor sources that may generate very high concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and thus contribute importantly to personal exposure (Chaloulakou et al 2008;Dennekamp et al 2001;Lewné et al 2004). Some researchers have found that the use of gas stoves with poor ventilation is the dominant activity influencing indoor concentration of nitrogen dioxide and increasing the risk of adverse health effects (Belanger et al 2006;Cibella et al 2015;Willers et al 2006). The relationship between exposure to nitrogen dioxide and health effects has been confirmed in a number of epidemiological studies.…”