In-kitchen aerosol exposure in twelve cities across the globe

The study identifies fuel type, kitchen volume, cooking methods, and ventilation as the primary drivers of in-kitchen particulate matter exposure in low-income homes across 12 global cities. The highest concentrations were found in Dhaka, driven by small kitchen size and extensive frying, while the lowest were in Medellín. The research highlights that charcoal use significantly increases PM2.5 levels compared to natural gas or LPG, and that dual ventilation (mechanical and natural) is more effective at reducing pollutants than natural ventilation alone.

• In-kitchen exposure to particulate matter is primarily influenced by fuel type, kitchen volume, cooking type, and ventilation, with different cuisines leading to varying cooking durations and disproportional exposures.
• The highest average PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations occurred in Dhaka (185 ± 48 and 220 ± 58 μg m−3 respectively) due to small kitchens and extensive frying, whereas the lowest concentrations were recorded in Medellín (10 ± 3 and 14 ± 2 μg m−3).
• The use of charcoal in Addis Ababa, Blantyre, and Nairobi increased PM2.5 levels by 1.3 to 3.1 times compared to the use of natural gas or LPG in cities such as Nanjing, Medellín, Cairo, Chennai, São Paulo, and Sulaymaniyah.
• Dual ventilation (mechanical and natural) in Chennai, Cairo, and Sulaymaniyah reduced average in-kitchen PM2.5 and PM10 by 2.3 and 1.8 times, respectively, compared to natural ventilation (open doors) in Addis Ababa, Dar-es-Salaam, and Nairobi.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2022). In-kitchen aerosol exposure in twelve cities across the globe. https://www.sei.org/publications/in-kitchen-aerosol-exposure-in-twelve-cities-across-the-globe/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. In-kitchen aerosol exposure in twelve cities across the globe. 2022. https://www.sei.org/publications/in-kitchen-aerosol-exposure-in-twelve-cities-across-the-globe/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=In-kitchen aerosol exposure in twelve cities across the globe |date=25 April 2022 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/in-kitchen-aerosol-exposure-in-twelve-cities-across-the-globe/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2022inkitchen, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{In-kitchen aerosol exposure in twelve cities across the globe}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2022}, month = apr, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/in-kitchen-aerosol-exposure-in-twelve-cities-across-the-globe/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }