Lydia Evans

Indoor air pollution released by kitchen stoves during cooking is an understudied public health issue causing or exacerbating respiratory problems, most commonly asthma. Currently in the US, 1/8th of all childhood asthma cases are caused by gas stove pollution. One of the main pollutants produced from combusting natural gas is NO2. The goal of my research is to measure how gas stoves affect the levels of NO2 in apartments. In each apartment tested, we minimized ventilation by closing doors and windows. We then used an Areoqual series 500 to measure the NOx levels. Emissions were measured from stoves with varying fuel types, including gas, electric, and electric induction. Emissions generated by individual stove or oven burners were measured both individually and in combination, to create a realistic setting. We found gas burners to release a significantly higher amount of NO2 than induction and electric stove burners. Induction stoves on average emit 9 times less NO2 than gas burners with similar power. Our data demonstrated that cooking a meal using a gas stove under the test conditions, created pollution that exceeded government recommended levels for people deemed sensitive. Two out of four meals cooked surpassed the hourly average that is unhealthy for sensitive groups (0.101 ppm of NO2 hourly). Notably, while below recommended levels, the average baseline NO2 level in apartments with gas stoves was higher than in apartments with electric stoves by a factor of 1.5. In addition, the baseline NO2 levels in such homes were three times higher than the outdoor NO2 levels for the area. This work can help push NYC to start adjusting how to think about indoor air quality and put regulations in place that protect vulnerable portions of the population such as children. Additional work is needed to collect data from a larger variety  of kitchens, which should also include  different types of ventilation. This work could lead to the design of appropriate interventions. 

2023 Terra NYC STEM Fair Finalist

Research Paper