The Impacts of Cooking and Indoor Air Quality Assessment in the Southwestern Region of Bangladesh

Abstract

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is one of the most critical issues for occupants’ health and well-being. Furthermore, studies on IAQ in the southwest part of Bangladesh are very limited. Here we report and compare the IAQ in considering a total of eight kitchens and living rooms of four selected households (HHs) in Jashore city and suburb area, the southwest district of Bangladesh. Air quality parameters, such as particulate matter (PM2.5) and volatile organic compounds (VOC), were assessed continuously for 24 hours. Carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) were assessed in different phases during the study period. The PM2.5, VOC, and CO2 levels in the indoor cooking (IC) HHs ranged from 18.52-207 µg/m3, 7.95-35.66 ppm, and 1061-2459 mg/m3, respectively, while the average concentration in the outdoor cooking (OC) HH was 20.63-23.72 µg/m3 PM2.5, 11.18-12.36 ppm VOC, and 1097-1747 mg/m3 CO2. A significant increase of CO2 due to kitchen activities (cooking, frying, boiling) was observed that ranged between 5-77% compared to the background level. The calculated range of toxicity potential (TP) values was between 0.8 and 8.3 for PM2.5 in the HHs. In most of the observations, PM2.5, VOC, and CO2 exceed the standard values. According to the study, well ventilation systems and the use of clean fuel significantly reduce the level of indoor air contaminants. Therefore, the study offers new insights about the IAQ of the southwest region of Bangladesh, particularly for suburbs and urban setups, and provides a reference for further study and decision-making.

Keywords: Indoor air quality, Particulate matters, Toxicity potentials, Indoor cooking