Comparison of chemical properties and toxicity of cooking aerosols (meat and fish)

Abstract

Cooking activities are well-known for being the main source of indoor air pollution, particularly in terms of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). However, most existing research on cooking particles has primarily focused on understanding their physical and chemical properties, while studies investigating the health risks associated with these particles are lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to replicate the process of grilling pork and mackerel, commonly done in domestic settings, using a custom-made cooking chamber. The particles emitted during cooking were captured on filters, and their chemical composition (ions, elements, organic carbon, elemental carbon, water-soluble organic carbon, water-insoluble organic carbon), oxidative potential, and their effects on inflammatory responses, cell viability, and DNA damage were analyzed using lung cancer cells (A549). Both pork and mackerel showed that organic carbon accounted for more than 90% of the total carbon content. The ratio of WISOC to organic carbon was 92% for pork and 78% for mackerel. The oxidative potential of mackerel was approximately 4.3 times higher than that of pork, with a value of 35.07 pmol/min/μg. There was no significant difference in cell toxicity between mackerel (86.82 μg/ml) and pork (79.60 μg/ml), and their cytotoxicity levels were comparable to those of particles emitted from other sources, such as automotive engine combustion (70.77~95.66 μg/ml). In terms of immune responses, both mackerel and pork exhibited a minimum 1.2 times to a maximum 2.4 times increase compared to the control when exposed to concentrations of 5-70 μg/ml.