Transmission and exposure of kitchen particles: A case study in an apartment

Particles emitted from the kitchen have been proven as one of the major indoor particulate pollutants which could pose serious risk on human health. Thus, it is critical to study the migration of kitchen particles and the impact of kitchen particles on non-kitchen zones. Since Chinese domestic kitchens are equipped with exhaust hoods, the capture efficiency of an exhaust hood in real residence was first measured. The capture efficiency was about 48% with the air flow rate of 0.125 m³/s. Second, the relative occupant exposure was calculated to quantify migration characteristics of kitchen particles under different ventilation models. Results show that the meteorological environment had little effect on migration by infiltration but significant by natural ventilation. In the dwelling layout of this study, relative occupant exposures showed an upward trend in windward and a downward trend in leeward. When the wind direction was 225°, wind speed had the greatest impact on particle migration. Finally, the effect of the opening and closing situation of kitchen door on air quality was analysed. Results show that closing the kitchen door increased the exposure in the kitchen by 30–58%, while the exposure in the study dropped to 43% of the door open status.