What is the relationship between cooking and deteriorating lung health?

A new study has found that cooking or frying foods can cause as serious problems for the lungs as external pollution.

The study analyzed emissions and chemicals resulting from cooking some common meals, including pancakes and stir-fried vegetables, using an instrument called a “collider,” a small bottle intended to collect airborne chemicals.

University of British Columbia researchers found that cooking produces carbonaceous aerosols, small particles or liquid droplets, in the air called BrCOA.

The team exposed this aerosol to model home lighting and natural sunlight.

He found that all meals released the same amount of carbon aerosols, which produce a harmful compound called singlet oxygen when exposed to light.

Singlet oxygen is a highly reactive compound that can cause lung damage and contribute to the development of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

While all meals produced single oxygen at roughly the same concentration, the researchers found higher amounts when the vapors were exposed to sunlight, meaning that kitchens with natural sunlight streaming in through windows could contain the most polluting compounds in the air.

Not only are these compounds formed during cooking, but they can remain in the air long after eating, leading to continued deterioration of home air quality.

The study found that the amount of oxygen released from cooking was present at levels similar to environmental pollution measured outdoors, but may be more dangerous indoors where space is limited.

The researchers explained that an expanded study is needed to fully understand the single oxygen associated with cooking and other cooking emissions.

The study recommends turning on kitchen ventilation fans, opening windows, and using an air filter in the kitchen.

The study was published in the journal Environmental Science: Atmospheres.