A new exposure route to trace elements in indoor particulate matter

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Public Health

Background:

• Cooking activities release particulate matter (PM) into indoor environments.
• Trace elements in PM can pose health risks through inhalation.
• The type of cookware may influence the composition of emitted PM.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the concentrations and emission rates of trace elements in PM generated from heating soybean oil in different pan types.
• To determine if cookware material affects the translocation of trace elements into heated oil and subsequently into emitted PM.
• To assess the potential inhalation exposure route of trace elements from cookware to indoor environments.

Main Methods:

• Heating soybean oil in Teflon, granitium, and cast-iron pans.
• Measuring concentrations and emission rates of sixteen trace elements in emitted PM.
• Statistical analysis to compare emission rates across different pan types.

Main Results:

• Statistically significant decreases in manganese (Mn) and cobalt (Co) emission rates were observed with cast-iron pans compared to Teflon and granitium.
• Nickel (Ni), barium (Ba), zinc (Zn), and chromium (Cr) were major contributors to trace element emission rates.
• Iron (Fe) concentrations in PM1 were slightly higher with cast-iron pans, though not statistically significant.

Conclusions:

• Trace elements can translocate from cooking pans into heated oil and then into the particulate phase.
• Cookware material influences the emission of specific trace elements during cooking.
• This translocation represents a novel inhalation exposure pathway for trace elements in indoor settings.