Cooking

In the residential sector, there are several indoor sources of pollutants related to activities such as cooking, cleaning and heating, besides those from occupants, building materials, finishing and furniture. Considering these sources, the kitchen appears as the space in the house that has the largest number of sources, with cooking being the most relevant source. In addition, meal preparation generates derivative processes related to cleaning utensils and the environment, in which detergents, air fresheners and other categories of cleaning products are used.

AIVC's Ventilation Information Paper #44: Residential Cooker Hoods,  summarizes current knowledge on cooking contaminant emissions, its effects on IAQ, and identifies standards for assessing the efficacy of cooker hood (also known as a range hood) performance.

Highly energy efficient buildings such as ones built to the Passive House standard, require a very airtight building envelope and the installation of a mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR). MVHR systems incorporate ambient air filters, which reduce the introduction of particulate matter (PM) from outdoor sources into the dwelling. However, indoor PM sources, e.g. cooking, can also contribute substantially to occupants’ exposure and need to be accounted for when designing ventilation or deriving recommendations for filter classes. 

Exposures to elevated concentrations of airborne fine particulate matter with diameter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5) have been linked to multiple negative health effects. Investigations into PM2.5 exposures primarily focus on external concentrations, which are easier to monitor. However, there is a growing interest in indoor exposures, as people spend up to 70% of their time at home, concentrations in dwellings may have a greater influence on personal exposures.

Exposures to elevated concentrations of fine particulate matter with diameter ≤2.5µm (PM2.5) are linked to multiple acute and chronic health effects, including increased risk of cardiovascular and respiratory disease. As people spend up to 70% in their own homes, exposures to pollutants indoors could have a greater impact on health than exposure outdoors. Cooking is a primary emission source of PM2.5 in dwellings, and is of interest as it is an activity conducted several times a day in most households.

Cooking activities generate massive fine particulate matter (number concentration). Effective ventilation system can improve the indoor air quality impacts of pollutants from residential cooking. Make-up air supply system can improve the range hood and Indoor air quality. In this study, we measured a capture efficiency of range hood with make-up air supply and indoor particles during cooking activates. For household’s comfort, make-up air supply was installed the line diffuser type. Case 1 PN concentrations increased to around 60,000#/cm3.

In recent years, PM, which is one of the most important indoor air pollutants, has attracted a great deal of attention. PM is mainly generated by occupant activities. In particular, cooking and smoking are occupant activities that have the greatest effect on the indoor PM concentrations. The objective of this study is to analyse indoior PM concentration and occupant behavior of Korean residential buildings. PM concentration increased rapidly in a short time during the cooking process.

Substantial energy is used to condition the air that enters California homes through leaks in the building envelope and ductwork - typically about a third of all heating and cooling. Reducing this through air sealing is essential to California achieving zero energy homes. However, this outdoor air also dilutes pollutants emitted inside homes and contributes to a healthy indoor environment and acceptable indoor air quality (IAQ). To address this IAQ issue, California’s Title 24 Building Standards have required mechanical ventilation in new homes since 2008.

A key aspect of achieving acceptable indoor air quality is source control. Cooking has been recognized as a significant source of pollutants for health impacts (e.g., PM2.5 and NO2) as well as moisture and odour. A common method of controlling this pollutant source is by using a range (or cooker) hood that vents to outside. However, field and laboratory experiments have shown highly variable performance for these devices. We use the capture efficiency metric (the fraction of the pollutants that are exhausted to outside at steady state) to characterize the range hood performance.