Assessment of health risks due to the inhalation of respiratory particulate matter generated in the community kitchens

Exposure to indoor air pollution (IAP) is a potential health hazard leading to premature deaths around the globe. Cooking activity is one of the primary sources of IAP in households. Many studies have focussed on IAP due to cooking practices worldwide, but studies in community kitchens, which serve food for many populations of different age groups, particularly in highly populated developing countries such as India, are non-existent. In this study, the concentrations of particulate matter (PM) of size fractions PM₁, PM_2.5, and PM₁₀ in indoor air were measured simultaneously and continuously for a duration of up to 20 days in 15 community kitchens using real-time PM monitoring systems (Applied Particle Technology Inc, USA) to assess the associated health risks related to the cooking profession. Three categories of kitchens were studied based on the type of fuel used, viz., LPG, LPG + SBF, and SBF. The concentrations of PM₁, PM_2.5, and PM₁₀ ranged from 40 to 286 µg m⁻³, 58 to 418 µg m⁻³, and 62 to 434 µg m⁻³, respectively, with corresponding geometric mean (GM) values of 74 µg m⁻³, 111 µg m⁻³, and 119 µg m⁻³. PM ratios were in the order PM_2.5/PM₁₀ > PM₁/PM_2.5 > PM₁/PM_10. A higher ratio of PM_2.5/PM₁₀ was due to the resuspension of particles generated from the cooking process. ELCR values (1.7 × 10⁻⁵–1.3 × 10⁻⁴) were higher when compared to the recommended limit for humans (1 × 10⁻⁶–1 × 10⁻⁵) by WHO and US EPA. The HQ values for PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ ranged from 1.8 to 13.7 and 0.9 to 4.5, respectively, with corresponding geometric mean (GM) values of 4.7 and 2.2. The ER and AF for all-cause mortality varied between 0.05–0.52 (GM = 0.13) and 0.05–0.34 (GM = 0.11), respectively. The HQ values for all community kitchens > 1, suggesting a high non-carcinogenic risk to the workers. This study revealed that the workers in the community kitchens are exposed to enhanced air pollution. This study has underlined the importance of health issues to the workers attributable to the inhalation of respiratory PM in the community kitchens.