Evaluation of particulate matter concentrations according to cooking activity in a residential environment

This study aimed to determine the ventilation conditions required for suitable indoor air quality management during cooking in a typical South Korean residential home. We measured the concentrations of particulate matter (PM₁₀) and fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) under different ventilation conditions during the cooking of different food materials in the kitchen of a multi-family house, which is the representative residential space in South Korea. Pork belly and mackerel, which are the staple meat and fish products of Korean people, were prepared (200 g of each) and cooked via roasting. The PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 concentrations were measured three times for 1 h at 1 min intervals under twelve ventilation conditions. To investigate the PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 concentration distribution characteristics and the reduction effect according to ventilation condition, the ratio of the concentration during cooking to the initial concentration was calculated for each condition. Factors causing the emission of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 for each food material and under each ventilation condition were analyzed using principal component analysis and verified using one-way analysis of variance and post hoc analysis. The PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 concentrations generated during the cooking of pork belly and mackerel reached their maximum values when no ventilation was used. Under this condition, PM₁₀ concentrations were 246.27 and 1227.71 μg/m³ while the PM_2.5 concentrations were 161.93 and 760.82 μg/m³ for pork belly and mackerel cooking, respectively. The PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 concentrations were also found to be high when a range hood and air cleaner were used, indicating that it is necessary to improve the performance of ventilation devices and to use appropriate ventilation methods. The use of natural ventilation exhibited a high PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 reduction effect compared with the ventilation conditions that used ventilation devices. Using natural ventilation together with ventilation devices was found to be the most effective method of reducing the PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 generated during cooking. In conclusion, PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 concentrations generated during the cooking of pork belly and mackerel varied depending on the ventilation condition, but they were high when inappropriate ventilation methods were used. Therefore, using appropriate ventilation conditions is effective in reducing PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 generated during cooking.