Air pollution in residential kitchens: Sources, health hazards and control technologies

As the concept of “healthy kitchen” continues to take root deeply in the minds in public consciousness, growing emphasis has been placed on both the health impacts of airborne pollutants in kitchen environments and the control of residential kitchen air pollution. In order to better create a healthy environment in residential kitchens, this paper reviewed and summarized the emission factors of kitchen air pollution sources, health risks associated with long-term and short-term exposure to air pollutants, and control strategies for kitchen air pollution. The results indicated significant variations in pollutant emissions across different fuel types, with solid fuels (e.g., biomass, coal) generating substantially higher emissions compared to cleaner fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and natural gas. Cooking oil fumes (COF) remain poorly mitigated even when range hoods are activated across diverse cooking scenarios. The health hazards posed by pollutants from fuel combustion particularly solid fuel combustion and COF demand serious consideration because of their multifaceted impacts on respiratory, cardiovascular, and carcinogenic risk pathways. Fuel pretreatment, optimized cooking methods and ingredient selection can reduce air pollutants at the source. Despite limited progress in centralized flue systems optimization, intelligent control systems show promise in enhancing fume extraction efficiency. For various make-up air ventilation measures, localized airflow distribution optimization measures, and the application of air purifiers, it is crucial to focus on relevant key parameters, and further experimental and simulation analysis is still required. This study aims to provide references for research on kitchen air pollution control.