Product
Supplier
Encyclopedia
Inquiry
Home > News > Pharma News > The kitchen is really PM2.5 overweight to teach you the right way to cook.

The kitchen is really PM2.5 overweight to teach you the right way to cook.

ECHEMI 2019-07-22

Is it a bit alarmist that cooking can produce PM2.5 and also pollute the environment? Recently, Zhao Bin, a professor and doctoral supervisor in the Department of Architectural Technology Science, School of Architecture, Tsinghua University, has made a systematic study on this topic. According to Zhao Bin, cooking and smoking are the main indoor sources of particulate matter in residential environment in China, and cooking even accounts for more than 70% of the contribution of indoor sources. Zhao Yuejing, a member of the research group and a graduate student of the Department of Architectural Technology Science, Tsinghua University School of Architecture, said that cooking involves a lot of chemical reactions, especially the traditional Chinese cooking will use more ways of frying, frying and frying. In the process of high temperature treatment of food and oil, a lot of food materials are involved. Organic components decompose at high temperatures, resulting in a large number of fine particles and harmful gases. Meanwhile, water in food rapidly vaporizes and expands and partially condenses into fog, forming oil smoke together with volatiles of edible oil.

"The fumes produced by these physical and chemical processes contain some compounds which have potential adverse effects on human health, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heterocyclic amines, unsaturated aldehydes, and inorganic components such as chromium, cadmium, cobalt, arsenic and nickel, which have carcinogenic effects, and are attached to PM2. 5." Zhao Yuejing said. According to expert research, the average concentration of PM2.5 in kitchen during cooking time will increase by tens or hundreds of times, up to hundreds or even thousands of micrograms/cubic meters (PM2.5 concentration up to 250 micrograms/cubic meters or more is a serious pollution). Zhao Bin pointed out that under such high concentration of PM2.5, both short-term and long-term exposure would cause impairment of the functions related to the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. In addition, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals produced during cooking will adhere to the surface of particulate matter and enter the human body by PM2.5, which may lead to DNA oxidative damage and increase the risk of lung cancer.

Fuel, cooking methods, cooking oil are all very particular.

First of all, we can make articles on clean fuels. Cooking with clean gas (natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, artificial gas, etc.) will reduce PM2.5 emissions by one or two orders of magnitude. Gas cookers or induction cookers are healthier for home cooking. The weight of PM2.5 released by frying and frying in the same time was more than 40 times that of steaming and boiling. It is suggested that family cooking should consider steaming and cooking in a more "mild" way. It is very important that dishes be cooked at the right time. Some people may wait for the oil to start smoking before putting into the food. At this time, the oil temperature actually exceeds the "smoke point" of the oil. The resulting oil fume contains many harmful substances including carcinogens. In this process, PAHs emit even equal to 25-70 cigarettes. Compared with the control of oil temperature below the smoke point, the weight of PM2.5 emitted in the same time will be more than 300 times more! The recommended cooking oil temperature should be "56% heat", that is, after the oil is poured into the pot, when the fluctuation of the oil surface intensifies and no soot has yet been produced, the ingredients are put into the pot. Finally, the types of cooking oils are also exquisite. Relevant studies have found that olive oil emits the most PM2.5 weight per unit time in several cooking oils commonly used when oil temperature is heated above the smoke point.

Chef can wear protective mask if necessary. As long as someone cooks, the distribution of PM2.5 in kitchen is inevitable, and a series of protective measures are needed. The first line of defense that the chef of palm-spoon cooking relies on is the lampblack machine. Many people are accustomed to shutting down the range hood immediately after the cease-fire. Zhao Bin suggested that the cooking machine should continue to open for 5 to 15 minutes after the end of cooking. Zhao Bin said that when cooking activities such as stir-frying are carried out, it is necessary to wear protective masks if the smoke exhaust efficiency of the smoke exhauster installed at home is low. The best choice is the KP95 mask. KP95 mask can effectively prevent PM2.5 from entering the body through breathing. The last line of defence for indoor air quality is air purifier. When cooking, there may be some fumes that can't be discharged in time, which become "fish leaking through the net" and spread to the living room and other adjacent rooms. Zhao Bin suggested that indoor air purifiers should be used in conjunction with air purifiers to ensure the health of indoor personnel when the indoor air quality deteriorated significantly. It is better to place the purifier away from the cooking source to prevent the high concentration of lampblack from losing the purifier. At the same time, the purifier should be as close as possible to the human activity area to ensure the use effect. 

Disclaimer: ECHEMI reserves the right of final explanation and revision for all the information.

Looking for chemical products? Let suppliers reach out to you!

Comment
Comment
  • Life Sciences Industry Overview

    The coverage spans the global life sciences industry across pharmaceuticals and food & nutrition, tracking the shift from lowest-cost sourcing to supply continuity, quality, and risk management, along with product trends and the growing edge of differentiated, globally capable players.
    Published in: June.2026

Trade Alert

Delivering the latest product trends and industry news straight to your inbox.
(We'll never share your email address with a third-party.)

Scan the QR Code to Share

Feedback & Suggestions
Send Message

Thank you for your feedback. If you require further assistance, please contact us by email at info@echemi.com or call us at +86-532-55729510.