EEvery time we eat out or order takeout, someone is cooking for us in a commercial kitchen. In the UK, 3.6 million people work in catering and hospitality. In the United States, their number is estimated at nearly 16 million. A study, the first of its kind in the United States, found that restaurant staff can face high air pollution on the job – and it can affect diners, too.
Dr. Drew Michanowicz, lead author of the study at the nonprofit research institute PSE Healthy Energy, said: “I was motivated by what we have learned over the years about the impact of just 30 minutes of gas cooking on air quality in homes, realizing that millions of people cook for a living for hours. »
Researchers measured air pollution in 27 kitchens, including fine-dining and casual full-service restaurants, those serving pizza and Chinese food, catering establishments, and kitchens of senior living communities, universities and schools.
Although the kitchens met U.S. legal limits for workplace air pollution, nitrogen dioxide in 17 kitchens was above the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for indoor air. All of these kitchens cooked with fossil gas or propane.
Nitrogen dioxide is a pollutant found in diesel engine exhaust, leading many UK and European cities to introduce clean air and low emission zones.
Three all-electric kitchens, a full-service restaurant, a school cafeteria and a conference center kitchen were part of the study. These had the lowest air pollution, demonstrating the benefits of decarbonization in restoration and an end to the burning of fossil gases.
Electric kitchens also had the lowest temperatures, a clear benefit for staff wellbeing.
This summer’s European heatwave has forced some UK restaurants to reduce their opening hours or close their doors due to the sweltering conditions. Christopher Galarza, a chef who worked with the researchers, said: “I have worked in kitchens where the heat was so intense that you ended a day’s work drenched in sweat, dehydrated and physically exhausted. »
The study also found that air pollution didn’t stay in the kitchen. Median concentrations in dining rooms were above WHO guidelines for outdoor air pollution.
Dr Yannai Kashtan, first author of the PSE Heathy Energy study, said: “It is difficult to contextualise the relative risk to diners, but by dining in a restaurant with gas appliances you may be exposed to high levels of nitrogen dioxide. »
One result surprised the research team. Kashtan said: “In two-thirds of gas kitchens, we measured higher pollution levels during the night and early morning, when all appliances were turned off. The culprit? Pilot lights burning 24/7, whether the ventilation was on or not.”
In the UK, many commercial kitchens have automatic systems that cut off the gas when the ventilation is not working.
Michanowicz said commercial-grade cooking appliances were not included in U.S. energy efficiency regulations, leading to the phasing out of pilot lights in the residential sector. “In most full-service kitchens with multiple appliances such as stoves, griddles, fryers, ovens, steamers and grills, more than 20 to 30 small flames can burn continuously,” Michanowicz said.
In the study, air pollution from night lights spread into dining rooms, increasing the exposure of cleaners and other workers as well as the health risks of other people living in mixed-use buildings.
Gn Health
