How frying pans could be harming your health from everyday cooking
(STUDY FINDS) -- When you fire up the stove to whip up a tasty meal, you’re probably not thinking about the tiny particles swirling around your kitchen. But according to a new study, the process of cooking – especially dishes that involve frying or sautéing – releases brown carbon aerosols that could be impacting indoor air quality and ultimately, your health.
So what exactly are these brown carbon aerosols? Essentially, they are microscopic particles that are released into the air from the incomplete combustion of organic matter, like the oils and fats used in cooking. They get their name from their ability to absorb light, giving them a brownish hue. While these particles are too small to see with the naked eye, when they build up, they can contribute to indoor air pollution.
In this study, published in the journal Environmental Science: Atmospheres, researchers from the University of British Columbia set out to investigate whether these cooking-related brown carbon aerosols, which they dubbed “BrCOA”, could produce harmful compounds when exposed to indoor lighting. Specifically, they looked at the production of singlet oxygen – a highly reactive form of oxygen that can damage cells and tissues in the body.
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