Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality Impacts of Commercial Kitchen Operations
JENNA DITTO, Leigh Crilley, Melodie Lao, Trevor VandenBoer, Jonathan Abbatt, Arthur W. H. Chan,
Washington University in St. Louis Abstract Number: 442
Working Group: Indoor Aerosols
AbstractEmissions of gas- and particle-phase organic compounds from commercial kitchens impact both indoor and outdoor air quality. These emissions present a major source of occupational exposure for kitchen staff, and when vented outdoors, can also contribute to urban air pollution loadings. We measured chemically speciated volatile organic compounds and particulate matter mass concentrations in a well-ventilated commercial kitchen in Toronto, with real-time measurements covering typical cooking and cleaning operations as well as background periods. Emitted gas-phase organic compounds from cooking were dominated by oxygenated species likely from the thermal degradation of cooking oils. High air change rates (28/hr on average during operating hours) controlled gas-phase concentrations to 2-7 orders of magnitude below their exposure guidelines. Despite these overall low mixing ratios, our measurements during background periods suggest the presence of a strong surface reservoir source of volatile gases to the room. During evening cleaning, signals of chlorinated gases increased by 1.1-9.0 times relative to their levels during daytime cooking despite air change rates still near 20/hr. We observed a concurrent threefold increase in particulate matter concentrations dominated by particles in the PM
2-5 range. This emphasizes the need for careful consideration of ventilation rates and methods in commercial kitchen environments during all hours of kitchen operation. These high air change rates created an indoor environment with very low pollutant concentrations, but their ventilation to the outdoors is estimated to have contributed a lower limit of 10
2-10
3 tonnes/year of gaseous pollutants (based on the quantified species in this study) and 10
0-10
1 tonnes/year of PM
10 to Toronto’s local urban atmosphere.