Many people may not know that the biggest source of air pollution in the home actually comes from the gas stove in the kitchen.
On May 3 this year, the Dole School for Sustainable Development at Stanford University in the United States, together with a number of institutions, published a research report in the journal Science Advances, revealing that in addition to producing carbon dioxide and methane, gas appliances in home life will also release harmful substances such as nitrogen dioxide and benzene during combustion, which may pose a serious threat to human health.
The study was led by Professor Rob Jackson of the Dole School of Sustainability at Stanford University, and included scientists from the Central California Asthma Collaborative, PSE Health Energy, and the Harvard Tan Kah Kee School of Public Health. The research team measured and simulated nitrogen dioxide concentrations in more than 100 homes of different sizes, layouts and ventilation methods using sophisticated sensors and advanced modelling techniques, and found that when households use gas appliances, nitrogen dioxide concentrations rise significantly, even when using range hoods, nitrogen dioxide concentrations during and after cooking exceed health standards.
What's even more worrying is that this pollution is not only confined to kitchens, but can also quickly spread to living areas such as bedrooms, affecting people's health.
And there are also research data showing that about 50,000 childhood asthma cases in the United States are related to long-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide from gas appliances at home.
But another study shows that long-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide in the United States alone could lead to thousands of deaths each year, up to 19,000 at its peak, accounting for 40 percent of deaths associated with secondhand smoke.
The study also found that, in addition to nitrogen dioxide, virtually any fuel that cooks food in a hot pan produces particulate pollution, which can also pollute indoor air.
Many experts believe that the findings of this study are of great significance, not only revealing the impact of gas appliances on indoor air quality, but also providing us with guidance to improve the indoor environment and protect the health of family members.
Therefore, we should pay more attention to the problem of indoor air pollution, take effective measures to reduce the production and emission of pollutants, and create a healthier and more comfortable living environment for family members.
In fact, reducing gas pollution is not just a problem for the chef or the people in the kitchen, but also a challenge for the whole family. So how do we deal with it? There are two main ways to deal with it: efficient smoke exhaust and reduced use time.
First of all, using a range hood to improve ventilation during cooking is one of the effective measures to reduce indoor air pollution. But ventilation alone is not enough. We need to reduce the production of pollutants at the source, that is, try not to use it for a long time, otherwise the harmful gases in the room will become higher and higher.
Gas appliances are an important source of indoor air pollution, and also remind us to re-examine the impact of traditional cooking methods on health, but cooking on fire is a habit of Chinese traditional diet, so for the majority of families who install gas equipment, the installation of efficient range hoods and maintaining good ventilation in the kitchen are also necessary measures.
Colin Fenegan of Stanford University's Dole School for Sustainability says that using a range hood that emits air to the outside can dramatically reduce the amount of nitrogen dioxide in the air in your home.
At the same time, family members should pay attention to measures such as reducing cooking time and reducing heat when using gas appliances, or consider replacing traditional gas stoves with clean energy such as electric stoves to reduce pollutant emissions.
Source: Global Network reported on May 6 that "Research Finds: Gas Stoves May Be One of the Important Sources of Indoor Pollution"