Field measurement of carbonyl compound and particles in South Korea residential spaces

In Korea, a large amount of fine dust and carbonyl compounds is generated during cooking in the kitchen. The purpose of this study is to select 20 apartment houses and measure contaminants that are generated during cooking in apartment houses in Korea. The measurement result showed that 15 out of 20 apartment houses exceeded the guidelines for PM10 based on its peak concentration. The concentration of carbonyl compounds was measured in the descending order of acrolein (270.0㎍/m3), formaldehyde (239.5㎍/m3) based on its average concentration. Acrolein and formaldehyde is harmful to the human body because time required for concentration to decrease by below guidelines is too long. The concentration of contaminants increased after cooking in most apartment houses even though there was a ventilation mechanism, and formaldehyde exceeded its standard concentration in 9 apartment houses. As a result of measuring various contaminants comprehensively, it can be determined that ventilation for cooking is insufficient to remove contaminants.