Air Pollution, Asthma Triggers and Respiratory Irritants from Cooking in Restaurants, Commercial Kitchens and Homes in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico has countless restaurants and commercial kitchens that employee tens of thousands of workers who produce millions of meals each week. In people’s homes, the kitchen is the place where families gather and spend time together each day.
 
Unfortunately, in some instances, these same kitchens can also be a significant source of indoor air pollution if there is a lack of ventilation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists wood and gas stoves as sources of combustion products that impact indoor air quality (IAQ), these include carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and particles. Exhaust from commercial kitchens and restaurants can even cause outdoor air pollution issues in some crowded urban environments.
 
“Natural gas and propane range tops and ovens can also release formaldehyde into the air,” said Harry Pena, President of Zimmetry Environmental. “Even electrical stoves can generate unhealthy air pollutants from heating oil, fat and other food ingredients, especially at high temperatures. These can include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and acrolein. Regardless of the energy source, self-cleaning ovens can create high levels of pollutants as food waste is burned away. This is why range hoods and other forms of ventilation are so important and in some commercial settings in densely packed areas, so too are exhaust filtration systems to mitigate outdoor air pollution.”
 
Exposure to elevated levels of these pollutants, whether indoors or outdoors, could exacerbate respiratory illnesses, as well as create other health concerns. Working to identify indoor and outdoor air pollution from cooking activities are the building science and industrial hygiene specialists at Zimmetry Environmental. They provide worksite assessments, ventilation inspections, air testing and monitoring services to identify and mitigate exposure risks to particulate matter, organic chemicals, gases and odors from kitchens across Puerto Rico and the region. Zimmetry has even sponsored an educational video about indoor air pollution from cooking that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/HI3drF4yY2U
 
To learn more about Zimmetry’s air quality, building science, and industrial hygiene testing and consulting services, please visit www.zimmetry.com, call (787) 995.0005 or email info@zimmetry.com .
 
About Zimmetry Environmental
Since 2002, Zimmetry Environmental has been providing environmental consulting services to building owners and managers, architects, engineers, EHS professionals and Fortune 500 companies.  The company is based in Puerto Rico and provides services across the Caribbean and Central America.  The professionals at Zimmetry offer environmental compliance, indoor air quality, asbestos, lead-based paint, Phase I ESAs and general environmental consulting services.
 

Contact Information

Paul Cochrane

President

Cochrane & Associates, LLC

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