Object Of The Week: The Dyson Pure Cool Improves Air Quality At Home
As you prepare for the annual Lunar New Year celebrations, keep your kitchens free from pollutants with this nifty air purifier
From appliances to the methods we use and the food that we cook, the kitchen can be an indoor pollution hotspot. Whether you’re cooking up a festive feast or baking for family and friends, preparing food can release a unique mix of pollutants into the air. Kitchen concentrations of ultrafine particles can often be 10 to 40 times higher after cooking and in some cities, it’s estimated that cooking contributes to 62 per cent of total PM2.5 pollution in homes. As you prep your menus for the Chinese New Year festivities, know what risks to air quality there are in the kitchen, and consider having a partner that can keep the air quality healthy.
Pollutants From Cooking Appliances
The combustion process emits ultrafine particles, which include oil droplets, steam from the water used to cook, ingredients and condensed organic compounds. Research has found that Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels are consistently higher in homes that cook with gas rather than electric stoves. It also indicated that levels were greater when cooking for longer periods of time. Electric stoves may not produce as much air pollution as their gas-powered counterparts, but particulate matter can be emitted from the food being cooked on the stove, regardless of the fuel.
Ensuring that kitchen appliances such as ovens or stoves are fully vented, and are installed, used and maintained correctly can help to minimize this exposure. Furthermore, opening the window while you cook if the air outdoors is clean enough or using mechanical ventilation like a purifying fan can assist by filtering out pollutants.
The way that food is cooked can affect air pollution inside the kitchen. Oil-based cooking, such as grilling and frying food is generally more polluting then water-based cooking like boiling or steaming, as it generates more fine particles.
“Understanding indoor air pollution is the first step in empowering people to make educated choices in the kitchen to help reduce air pollution exposure," says Dyson Head Chef, Joe Croan. "Simple changes in routines such as the type and quantity of oil you use when cooking can have a positive impact in the kitchen.”
The Dyson Pure Cool
Check out Dyson’s Pure Cool to keep the air in your kitchen clean, ensuring the health of your home. These have the ability to sense and capture air pollutants, emitting purified air into your kitchen or any of your rooms at home. Its air filtration system captures 99.5% of particle pollutants as fine as .1 microns. The Dyson Link App may be downloaded from your mobile phones or tablets so that you can monitor and control the air quality in your home.
Purchase the Dyson Pure Cool here:
Lead images by @shehzeen.r and @dyson