The contribution of cooking appliances and residential traffic proximity to aerosol personal exposure

M. Shehab, F. D. Pope, J. M. Delgado-saborit

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Abstract

Purpose: Indoor and outdoor factors affect personal exposure to air pollutants. Type of cooking appliance (i.e. gas, electricity), and residential location related to traffic are such factors. This research aims to investigate the effect of cooking with gas and electric appliances, as an indoor source of aerosols, and residential traffic as outdoor sources, on personal exposures to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter lower than 2.5 μm (PM2.5), black carbon (BC), and ultrafine particles (UFP).

Methods: Forty subjects were sampled for four consecutive days measuring personal exposures to three aerosol pollutants, namely PM2.5, BC, and UFP, which were measured using personal sensors. Subjects were equally distributed into four categories according to the use of gas or electric stoves for cooking, and to residential traffic (i.e. houses located near or away from busy roads).

Results/conclusion: Cooking was identified as an indoor activity affecting exposure to aerosols, with mean concentrations during cooking ranging 24.7–50.0 μg/m3 (PM2.5), 1.8–4.9 μg/m3 (BC), and 1.4 × 104–4.1 × 104 particles/cm3 (UFP). This study also suggest that traffic is a dominant source of exposure to BC, since people living near busy roads are exposed to higher BC concentrations than those living further away from traffic. In contrast, the contribution of indoor sources to personal exposure to PM2.5 and UFP seems to be greater than from outdoor traffic sources. This is probably related to a combination of the type of building construction and a varying range of activities conducted indoors. It is recommended to ensure a good ventilation during cooking to minimize exposure to cooking aerosols.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)307-318
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering
Volume19
Issue number1
Early online date22 Jan 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors wish to thank all the participants in this study. Dr. Delgado-Saborit thanks the HEI for awarding her the Walter Rosenblith New Investigator Award. Dr. Delgado-Saborit is a recipient of funds from the European Union?s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sk?odowska-Curie grant agreement No 750531. Dr. Delgado-Saborit is a recipient of funds from Generalitat Valenciana - Regional Ministry of Education, Research, Culture and Sport under the Talented Researcher Support Programme - Plan GenT (CIDEGENT/2019/064).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).

Keywords

  • Airborne pollutants
  • Black carbon (BC)
  • Indoor/outdoor exposure
  • Particulate matter (PM )
  • Personal exposure
  • Ultrafine particles (UFP)

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Environmental Engineering
  • Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
  • Water Science and Technology
  • Waste Management and Disposal
  • Pollution
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

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