Assessment of Indoor Air Pollution From Cooking and Cleaning Activities in Italian Restaurant Kitchens

This work assesses indoor air quality (IAQ) in 15 restaurant kitchens in Northern Italy by monitoring air pollutants from both cooking and cleaning activities. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), aldehydes, ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon dioxide (CO2), and ultrafine particles (UFPs) were monitored across two seasons—winter and summer. Organic gasses were monitored using off-line techniques, whereas real-time monitoring was employed for inorganic gasses and UFPs. Contextual data were collected via checklists and video recording. Results showed higher O3 levels in summer, whereas an opposite behavior was observed for UFPs, NO2, and CO2. D-limonene, propionaldehyde, and acrolein were the most abundant compounds in both seasons. Most pollutant levels were below guideline values, despite the occurrence of short-term pollution peaks, especially for O3, TVOCs, and NO2. Notably, benzaldehyde levels exceeded short-term guidelines in more than 1/4 of the restaurants, whereas acrolein surpassed the short-term exposure limit in up to 67% of cases. High levels of benzene were also recorded in about 1/4 of cases. Formaldehyde guidelines were also exceeded in some instances. This study highlights cooking as the main pollution source, with washing activities contributing to could cause IAQ guideline values exceedances. Adaptive ventilation systems and separating cooking and washing can represent effective mitigation measures.