Experimental study of ultrafine particles emitted by cooking activities in Hong Kong

Abstract

This paper presents the on-site monitoring results of ultrafine particles (UFPs) and PM2.5 obtained during 30 cooking episodes in 12 non-smoking homes in Hong Kong, where Chinese-style cooking was practiced. More than 90% of cooking emitted particles was UFPs and they dispersed quickly to the living room from the kitchen. Cooking emissions caused the particle number concentrations to rise from the background level by about 20 - 40 times in the kitchen (3.0 - 6.5 × 105/cm3) and by about 10 times in the living room (1.5 - 1.8 × 105/cm3). Average PM2.5 concentration was about 60 μg/m3 in the living room and about 160 μg/m3 in the kitchen during cooking. The particle concentrations remained elevated for 90 minutes in the kitchen and for 60 minutes in the living room, after finishing cooking. Further analysis of UFP surface area concentrations might provide new insights on the potential health risks due to cooking.