TIPS & GUIDES
Cooking Fumes and Your Health
By Hauslane ∙ 5 mins readCooking food is essential. Not only for your health, but cooking can be fun and is a pastime to many. Cooking is also a common reason for family and friends to get together for holidays
Think about how much time you and your family spend in the kitchen cooking, talking, and spending time together. What if I told you that standing in the kitchen breathing in the air while you are cooking can be harmful to your health? Would you believe me? Well, it is. Smoke inhalation from cooking can lead to negative health impacts. Keep reading to learn more.
Cooking is actually a major source of indoor pollution. Fumes emitted from the stovetop contain nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, carcinogens, and more. Smoke inhalation from cooking can lead to you unknowingly inhaling all these substances.
Nitrogen dioxide is commonly released when using a gas stovetop. Nitrogen dioxide can cause inflammation of the lining of the lungs. Causing respiratory problems.
Carbon monoxide is a clear, odorless, tasteless gas that is released in small amounts during cooking. High levels of this gas can cause decreased level of consciousness and eventually death, meaning smoke inhalation from cooking can be potentially dangerous if not properly handled.
Carbon dioxide is normally found in the air, however, higher levels have been known to kill spiders and flies. It is unknown as to what the long-term effects of cooking and increased levels of carbon dioxide can do to the body.
Fine particles of food can also be released. These are produced by cooking with both gas and electric burners, but are most often seen with electric burners. These ultra small particles can enter the lungs and bloodstream causing infections and inflammation.
Breathing in the fumes from the stove is most likely to cause negative respiratory problems. The best way to prevent this from happening is to make sure that your kitchen is properly ventilated. Proper ventilation of a kitchen is done by installing a range hood over the stove to filter and ventilate the air while you are cooking.
Related Posts
