CO2 exposure, ventilation, thermal comfort and health risks in low-income home kitchens of twelve global cities

• Published in: Journal of Building Engineering 2022-12, Vol.61, p.105254, Article 105254
• Main Authors: Kumar, Prashant, Hama, Sarkawt, Abbass, Rana Alaa, Nogueira, Thiago, Brand, Veronika S., Wu, Huai-Wen, Abulude, Francis Olawale, Adelodun, Adedeji A., de Fatima Andrade, Maria, Asfaw, Araya, Aziz, Kosar Hama, Cao, Shi-Jie, El-Gendy, Ahmed, Indu, Gopika, Kehbila, Anderson Gwanyebit, Mustafa, Fryad, Muula, Adamson S., Nahian, Samiha, Nardocci, Adelaide Cassia, Nelson, William, Ngowi, Aiwerasia V., Olaya, Yris, Omer, Khalid, Osano, Philip, Salam, Abdus, Shiva Nagendra, S.M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: CArE-homes project; CO2 and ventilation; Low-income homes; Sustainable development goals; Sustainable urban design; Thermal comfort
• ISSN: 2352-7102; 2352-7102
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jobe.2022.105254

In-kitchen air pollution is a leading environmental issue, attributable to extensive cooking, poor ventilation and the use of polluting fuels. We carried out a week-long monitoring of CO2, temperature and relative humidity (RH) in five low-income residential kitchens of 12 global cities (Dhaka, Chennai, Nanjing, Medellín, São Paulo, Cairo, Sulaymaniyah, Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Blantyre, Akure and Dar-es-Salaam). During cooking, the average in-kitchen CO2 concentrations were 22.2% higher than the daily indoor average. Also, the highest CO2 was observed for NVd (natural ventilation-door only; 711 ± 302 ppm), followed by NVdw (natural ventilation-door + window; 690 ± 319 ppm) and DVmn (dual ventilation-mechanical + natural; 677 ± 219 ppm). Using LPG and electric appliances during cooking exhibited 32.2% less CO2 than kerosene. Larger kitchens (46–120 m3) evinced 28% and 20% less CO2 than medium (16–45 m3) and small (4–15 m3) ones, respectively. In-kitchen CO2 with >2 occupants during cooking was 7% higher than that with one occupant. 87% of total kitchens exceeded the ASHRAE standard (RH >40%, temperature >23 °C) for thermal comfort. Considering the ventilation type, both the ACH (air change rate per hour) and ventilation rate followed the order: NVdw > NVd > DVmn, while the trend for weekly average CO2 concentration was NVd > DVmn > NVdw. Larger kitchens presented 22% and 28% less ACH, and 82% and 190% higher ventilation rate than medium- and small-volume ones, respectively. Forty-three percent kitchens had ACH