Cooking pollutes your home, better ventilation may help
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Very small particles called particulate matter (PM 2.5) can be produced when food is burnt, fried or stewed during cooking. Even food debris that builds up in the oven or on the hob produces fine particles when it burns.
Most of us spend more than two-thirds of our lives at home. But even indoors, many people are exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution, and much of this pollution comes from cooking. Very small particles called particulate matter (PM 2.5) can be produced when food is burnt, fried or stewed during cooking. Even food debris that builds up in the oven or on the hob produces fine particles when it burns.
Research shows that if you live in India’s polluted capital New Delhi If you walk through the air, you can be exposed to about three times more particulate matter than when you cook dinner by roasting it. When inhaled, these particles can affect the heart and lungs, worsen asthma symptoms and contribute to reduced lung function and irritation of the airways, and this can lead to a heart attack. may increase. In 2019, around 2.3 million deaths worldwide were attributed to long-term exposure to household air pollution. Many countries are retrofitting their domestic environments as a way to reduce carbon emissions. For example, the Irish government has pledged to rebuild half a million homes by the end of the decade.
Retrofitting homes offers millions of people an opportunity to improve indoor air quality and reduce energy use. Although retrofitting makes homes more airtight, ventilation also needs to be properly managed and cannot rely only on air leaking into the building to reduce concentrations of air pollutants. Without proper ventilation, pollutants generated during cooking can be prevented from being released into the atmosphere. Homes in Western Europe have long relied on natural ventilation, so moving to airtight homes will require some adjustments to the lives of those living in them.
Ventilating our homes As part of retrofitting, homes often have mechanical ventilation systems installed. It could be as simple as the cooker hood in the kitchen or the exhaust fan in the bathroom. But instead some homes will be equipped with a full service heating, ventilation and air conditioning system that sucks in and cleans outside air before cooling or heating it. A cooker hood is an umbrella that covers the cooking area with a built-in fan.
It sucks air through a series of filters before expelling it. Using your cooker hood is one of the most effective ways to reduce your exposure to particles while cooking. Research shows that you are exposed to around 90% less PM2.5 when cooking with a hood than without exhaust. However, user behavior can limit the effectiveness of equipment and the ability of ventilation systems to function correctly. The risks remain Last year, we surveyed 14 Irish homes that had been foreclosed on at least 12 months earlier.
We found that cooker hoods that meet the proper regulations are not used properly. We also found that half of those surveyed did not understand how to use their ventilation system properly. He said the main reason for this was a poor handover process, in which not enough information was given on how to operate these systems. Our study revealed that 70 percent of homeowners surveyed were unaware of how to maintain their home’s ventilation system to ensure it continues to work effectively.
Lack of maintenance can make ventilation systems noisy and reduce people’s desire to use them. Most homeowners were unaware of the sources of exposure to indoor particulate matter and the health risks it poses, as well as how it relates to cooking. It is a long-standing concern that those living in homes need to be better informed about the risks of indoor air pollution. How to reduce your exposure when cooking However, there are several simple tips people should follow to reduce their exposure to poor air quality when cooking.
Residues of food that have fallen on the stove during cooking will start burning as soon as the stove is turned on again. As soon as you start cooking, your chances of coming into contact with fine particles will increase. So, if you have a cooker hood, switch it on before cooking and let it run for 10-15 minutes after you are done cooking. This way, these particulate deposits will be unlikely to build up to unsafe levels and will be quickly destroyed after cooking. You can also pair your cooker hood with a PM 2.5 sensor to further reduce your exposure.
These sensors provide alerts on pollutant levels and help in smart control of the hood, so it is switched on at specific times, or when PM2.5 levels reach a certain threshold. It is equally important to have your cooker hood inspected and maintained annually by the installers. Like servicing your car or boiler, having your ventilation system serviced annually will ensure that it continues to operate effectively. Cooking at home can expose us to harmful air pollutants. In energy efficient homes, people need to be informed about how best to use their mechanical ventilation systems to avoid such exposure. It will take some time to adjust to these systems, but with a few simple tips and information, we can reduce our risk.
Disclaimer:IndiaTheNews has not edited this news. This news has been published from PTI-language feed.
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