AAAR 32nd Annual Conference
September 30 - October 4, 2013
Oregon Convention Center
Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
Chemical Characterization and Toxicological Properties of PM2.5 Emissions from Commercial Cooking
POORNIMA DIXIT, Nicholas Gysel, David R. Cocker III, Georgios Karavalakis, Arthur K. Cho, Debra A. Schmitz, University of California, Riverside
Abstract Number: 498 Working Group: Health Related Aerosols
Abstract Restaurants, kitchens, grills and other sources of cooking, charbroiling, and high temperature frying are sources of fine and ultrafine particles, organic aerosols, volatile organic compounds that make significant contributions to urban air pollution (Schauer et al., 1999; Kabir and Kim, 2011). It is a well-established fact that exposure to particulate matter (PM) with aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 micrometer has been associated with increases in pulmonary/cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In addition, PM emissions from cooking are expected to surpass heavy-duty trucks and off-road vehicles in the South Coast Basin by 2014. Therefore, it is important to understand the chemical and toxicological characteristics of emissions from commercial cooking.
Cooking emissions have relatively high rates of organic mass which include several PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), nitro-PAHs, organic acids, and quinones. The PAHs and nitro-PAHs are known for their mutagenic and carcinogenic effects, while the quinones are highly reactive derivatives of PAHs that are capable of catalyzing redox cycling reactions and forming covalent bonds with tissue nucleophiles. These organic compounds were collected using 47 mm Teflon filters, during real-time meat cooking using standard cooking methods, and subsequently characterized using a GC-MS. The toxicological properties, which include the chemical reactivity of these organic species, were determined using the DTT (dithiothreitol) and GAPDH (glyceraldehyde-3-phospahet dehydrogenase) assays. The results from these assays provide a direct link to the adverse health effects associated with emissions from cooking operations and ultimately urban air pollution. The chemical composition of cooking originated particles, and their redox and electrophilic properties will be discussed.