Occupational Exposures in the Culinary Underbelly: Air Pollution in Restaurants

Occupational exposure to commercial cooking emissions has not been comprehensively studied, particularly in a Western context. This investigation measured the concentration and composition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), and black carbon (BC) in 18 New York City restaurants. Eight-hour gravimetric PM_1,2.5,10 mass concentrations were measured in kitchen and dining areas, and PM₁ was speciated using X-ray fluorescence. Evacuated canisters and XAD-2 sorbent tubes collected VOCs and PAHs, respectively, and were speciated using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Lastly, spatial concentration gradients for PM_2.5 and day-of-the-week effects were considered in eight additional restaurants. A median PM_2.5 concentration of 79.6 μg/m³ was found in kitchens, with real-time values spiking into the thousands of micrograms per cubic meter in some restaurants─values below the Occupational Safety and Health Administration 8 h permissible exposure limit of 5 mg/m³ for particles not otherwise regulated (respirable fraction), but well above the 24 h World Health Organization recommended ambient exposure limit of 15 μg/m³ for 2021. Benzene, a known carcinogen, was frequently detected in the kitchen areas, while PAHs were often undetected. These data warrant further investigation into the cardiopulmonary health of restaurant workers.