Air quality measurement in a model kitchen using gas and electric stoves.

Epidemiological studies suggest that cooking with gas leads to an increase of air pollutants and may enhance symptoms of respiratory diseases. However, little experimental data are available concerning the emission of pollutants due to different cooking processes. The goal of this study was to investigate the influence of cooking under standardized conditions on the indoor air quality. A model kitchen was built and three different gas stoves and one electric stove were included in the study. Two different menus were prepared with different settings of the ventilation rate of the exhaust. Online measurements of NO, N02, CO, particles, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and climatic factors were performed on the side of the stoves. The results showed large differences between different gas stoves with respect to emission of gaseous pollutants. Particle concentrations depended strongly on the menu cooked independent of the stove used. An adequate exhaust hood and ventilation rate are required in order to reduce the air pollutants, in particular the fine particles, to tolerable concentrations.