Kitchen is more dangerous than the street

The presence of gas stoves and detergent solutions makes the air in the kitchen more dangerous than the air in crowded streets.

Scientists are concerned that the level of indoor air pollution is on the rise because of the trend of using strong active detergents, room spray and the habit of closing doors to turn on air conditioners. .

To find out how dangerous the pollution is in the home, researchers at Sheffield University in the UK track three houses in different locations. A house built of stone, a traditional roof and an electric stove. It is located in a village in the countryside. The other two houses are flat roof with gas stove and are located near the crowded street.

The team sampled air both inside and outside the houses for 4 weeks to measure the concentration of contaminants. The results show that the concentration of carbon monoxide (CO) in houses in rural areas is very low. In contrast, CO concentrations in the two apartments are very high, especially when gas stoves are used.

Nitrogen dioxide (NO ₂ ) concentration, another toxic gas, in the kitchen of two urban apartments is three times higher than that of a rural home.

Experts also looked at the concentrations of toxic substances for the elderly and those with respiratory diseases. These include volatile organic compounds and solid particles small enough to penetrate the lungs. They found that the concentration of hard particles in the kitchen of two apartments was higher than the safety level set by the British government for outdoor air quality.

According to Professor Vida Shafiri, head of the research team, when it comes to air quality, most public opinion only thinks of outdoor air. Since modern people spend most of their time on indoor activities, we should better understand indoor air pollution.

'People' s home time now accounts for 90% of the total time of the day. We take every step to make the house more warm, safe and comfortable, but we rarely think of harmful gases in the home. When we close the doors to turn on the air conditioner or heater, the level of indoor air pollution increases. That situation negatively affects our health , 'said Ms. Sharifi.