As natural as cooking
Cooking with gas could have implications for people susceptible to lung disorders, such as asthma, according to a study published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine*.
Ken Donaldson of Napier University in Edinburgh, Scotland and colleagues, used PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) filters to collect particulate matter (PM10) emitted from gas and electric cookers and applied the residues to cultured epithelial (A549) cells from the lining of the lung. The cells were also tested with nitrogen dioxide, a by-product of gas cooking, which may reach levels of 1000 parts per billion or more in kitchens.
Cellular activity was unaffected by residues from electric cooking but particles from gas cookers raised interleukin 8 (IL-8) levels - as measured by a sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system - as a kind of in vitro immune response. Such a response in one's lung cells can lead to narrowing of the airways and consequent chest tightness, similar to the symptoms experienced by asthma sufferers during an attack. Donaldson does point out that his research does not prove a link between asthma and particles generated by gas but that it may affect inflammatory activity in the lungs. The actual amounts of particulates emitted are low, so he and his colleagues also emphasize that risk is small.
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