Acrolein was used as a chemical weapon in World War I. Acrolein in the home is primarily from cooking (especially oils) and tobacco smoke. It is a strong irritant for the skin, eyes and nasal passages.

“Think about what you're putting in your home,” says Melissa Lunden, a Berkeley Lab staff engineer. “Most of us have to cook, but do you need the candles, incense and air fresheners? Freshening your air requires taking stuff out, not putting more stuff in.”

Berkeley Lab scientists are now looking for ways to improve indoor air quality by developing better standards for residential buildings and new tests to measure these hazardous pollutants. For example, their Berkeley Lab report recommends to regulators that whole-residence ventilation rates should focus on controlling formaldehyde and acrolein, whereas filtration should be used to remove fine particle pollutants.

Since cooking is a major source of indoor air pollutants, Berkeley Lab scientists have also evaluated the effectiveness of cooking exhaust hoods. Their study results showed that cooking hoods should be redesigned and new rating standards are needed to help consumers know how effective a cooking hood is at removing pollutants. However, they also found that indoor air quality can be significantly improved by simply cooking on the back burners of your stove, using higher fan settings and turning the fan on before you start cooking. Further research on cooking-induced pollutants is underway using a new demonstration kitchen to study real-life cooking conditions. During these studies, Tosh Hotchi’s stir-fries and cookies are just a happy bonus for his co-workers like Melissa Lunden.

Learn more about how air quality affects your health this week during Air Quality Awareness Week.

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Air Pollution Lurks Inside Your Home