Uploaded July 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The kitchen is the place where many families come together. Unfortunately, in some instances, kitchens can also be a significant source of indoor air pollution which could cause respiratory illnesses and other health concerns.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists wood and gas stoves as sources of combustion products that impact indoor air quality (IAQ). The agency lists carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particles as major pollutants released by these types of stoves.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) provides even more detailed information about indoor air pollution from cooking. It reports that natural gas and propane can also release formaldehyde into the air and that even electrical stoves can generate unhealthy air pollutants (acrolein and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons for example) from heating oil, fat and other food ingredients, especially at high temperatures. CARB also warns that regardless of the energy source, self-cleaning ovens can create high levels of pollutants as food waste is burned away.
One of the best ways to address these indoor air pollutants is with the use of a range hood or other forms of ventilation. CARB recommends for those kitchens with a range hood to check that it vents to the outdoors; to use it while cooking or using the stove; and to cook on the back burners, if possible, because the range hood exhausts this area more effectively. In kitchens without a range hood, CARB suggests using a wall or ceiling fan while cooking and to open windows and/or exterior doors to improve air flow through the kitchen.
EPA suggests keeping the burners properly adjusted on gas units and if purchasing a new gas stove or range to consider buying one with pilot less ignition because it does not have a pilot light that burns continuously. For woodstoves, EPA advises people to choose a properly sized new stove that is certified as meeting EPA emission standards and to use only aged or cured (dried) wood.
These are just a few things to know about indoor air pollutants from cooking. To learn more about this or other indoor air quality, building science, environmental, occupational, health or safety issues, please visit the websites shown below.
Clark Seif Clark csceng.com
EMSL Analytical, Inc. emsl.com
LA Testing latesting.com
Zimmetry Environmental zimmetry.com
Healthy Indoors Magazine healthyindoors.com
The kitchen is the place where many families come together. Unfortunately, in some instances, kitchens can also be a significant source of indoor air pollution which could cause respiratory illnesses and other health concerns.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists wood and gas stoves as sources of combustion products that impact indoor air quality (IAQ). The agency lists carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particles as major pollutants released by these types of stoves.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) provides even more detailed information about indoor air pollution from cooking. It reports that natural gas and propane can also release formaldehyde into the air and that even electrical stoves can generate unhealthy air pollutants (acrolein and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons for example) from heating oil, fat and other food ingredients, especially at high temperatures. CARB also warns that regardless of the energy source, self-cleaning ovens can create high levels of pollutants as food waste is burned away.
One of the best ways to address these indoor air pollutants is with the use of a range hood or other forms of ventilation. CARB recommends for those kitchens with a range hood to check that it vents to the outdoors; to use it while cooking or using the stove; and to cook on the back burners, if possible, because the range hood exhausts this area more effectively. In kitchens without a range hood, CARB suggests using a wall or ceiling fan while cooking and to open windows and/or exterior doors to improve air flow through the kitchen.
EPA suggests keeping the burners properly adjusted on gas units and if purchasing a new gas stove or range to consider buying one with pilot less ignition because it does not have a pilot light that burns continuously. For woodstoves, EPA advises people to choose a properly sized new stove that is certified as meeting EPA emission standards and to use only aged or cured (dried) wood.
These are just a few things to know about indoor air pollutants from cooking. To learn more about this or other indoor air quality, building science, environmental, occupational, health or safety issues, please visit the websites shown below.
Clark Seif Clark csceng.com
EMSL Analytical, Inc. emsl.com
LA Testing latesting.com
Zimmetry Environmental zimmetry.com
Healthy Indoors Magazine healthyindoors.com
