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Only so much you can do about ambient pollution in your city. Looking carefully at your cooking situation is worthwhile though. Was horrified by the spike in r

by Havoc 1y ago

Only so much you can do about ambient pollution in your city. Looking carefully at your cooking situation is worthwhile though. Was horrified by the spike in readings from stuff like steak in a pan

ajkjk 1y ago
Well studies like this are often directed at policymakers, who actually can do something about it.
- FollowingTheDao 1y ago
  And lobbyists are also directed at those policy makers...which is the bigger problem. Big spikes in soft money group spending in 22 and 24 elections... https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus?cycle=2024&ind=E01 https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus?cycle=2024&ind=...
- lazide 1y ago
  Policy makers generally only give a damn if someone else makes them - or they get something from it.
  - tim333 1y ago
    They can do the old fashioned make things better to make the voters happy and get reelected. In London the mayor has brought in a lot of anti pollution measures and although the tabloids and right wing media go on about how awful he is, he gets reelected, including my voting. This thing says roadside ppm2.5 is down from 17 to 8 in central where I live https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/07/london-air-pollution-down-since-ulez-expansion-study https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/07/london-a...
  - ajkjk 1y ago
    That's the cynical take, but as far as I can tell it is far from universally true. You just hear about all the bad cases. Not to mention, the the way it pulls on policy can be much more subtle than getting bills passed.
ZYbCRq22HbJ2y7 1y ago
Are there studies showing indoor air pollution from cooking in a residential setting is linked to dementia?
- krapht 1y ago
  I've seen media reports from China about elevated lung cancer rates in non-smoking women. Just as scary, IMO. That being said, Chinese cooking makes much greater usage of stir-frying, and it's well known that most residential ventilation hoods are wholly inadequate for the task.
- Havoc 1y ago
  Not sure - it may very well be a different kind of pollution, but the raw PM2.5 values definitely look scary fast with any kind of "dry" cooking where you're browning anything
  - jodrellblank 1y ago
    The raw PM2.5 values also skyrocket with just boiling tap water, on my Ikea Vindstyrka. Which makes me question how useful it is, presumably even with "dry" cooking a lot of meats and vegetables have water in them? https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/vindstyrka-air-quality-sensor-smart-40498234/ https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/vindstyrka-air-quality-sensor-s...
    - Taek 1y ago
      It's actually not been established (at least, to the best of my knowledge) that PM2.5 caused by water vapor is any less harmful than other types of PM2.5 particulates. And sure, yes, it's just water and its entirely plausible that water based PM2.5 is completely harmless... but wouldn't it be good to know that for sure?
      - jader201 1y ago
        Wouldn't that suggest that, at least to some degree, dementia would be elevated in humid vs. dry climates?
skybrian 1y ago
An air purifier is pretty cheap and will cut down on indoor pollution from cooking a lot. Or at least that’s how it seemed from the somewhat unreliable sensor I was using. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-air-purifier/ https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-air-purifier...
- FollowingTheDao 1y ago
  I am homeless, I live in a minivan, and I have a solar battery charger with a small carbon filter/HEPA air filter that I use every night and it helps me so much. I am a very "sensitive" person to many things in the environment, but many times while traveling i find myself in the midst of wildfire smoke. (I also carry a facemask respirator for the same reason).
- dynm 1y ago
  FWIW, I think the wirecutter's quality for air purifiers is pretty bad, and likely more influenced by affiliate payments than science: https://dynomight.net/ikea-purifier/ https://dynomight.net/ikea-purifier/
  - thadk 1y ago
    I tried the cheap IKEA model and with my severe dust mite allergies the model was insufficient in comparison to calm my sixth sinus-bound sense. My main suspicion: In my last 3 abodes with pre-1955 construction in East Coast, the pre-filter on the top Wirecutter pick needs to be cleaned 3x per carbon filter replacement in order to reduce largest particle accumulation on the carbon or HEPA filters. The inexpensive IKEA model did not have a viable and easily cleaned pre filter as far as I could figure out.
    - terribleperson 1y ago
      The ikea Fornuftig has a snap-on piece of cloth covered plastic that serves as a pre-filter, a replaceable particle filter, and a replaceable optional gas filter. I've found that taking a shop vac and leaf blower to the pre-filter works quite well to get it clean. That said, the Ikea air purifiers only make sense if you have a room that's about the right size for the Fornuftig. Their larger purifier is worse value, and you're better off looking at something like the Squair.
jader201 1y ago
Wouldn't we see dementia occurrence higher among cooks, then? Or do we?

by Havoc 1y ago

Only so much you can do about ambient pollution in your city. Looking carefully at your cooking situation is worthwhile though. Was horrified by the spike in readings from stuff like steak in a pan

ajkjk 1y ago

Well studies like this are often directed at policymakers, who actually can do something about it.

FollowingTheDao 1y ago
And lobbyists are also directed at those policy makers...which is the bigger problem. Big spikes in soft money group spending in 22 and 24 elections... https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus?cycle=2024&ind=E01 https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus?cycle=2024&ind=...
lazide 1y ago
Policy makers generally only give a damn if someone else makes them - or they get something from it.
- tim333 1y ago
  They can do the old fashioned make things better to make the voters happy and get reelected. In London the mayor has brought in a lot of anti pollution measures and although the tabloids and right wing media go on about how awful he is, he gets reelected, including my voting. This thing says roadside ppm2.5 is down from 17 to 8 in central where I live https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/07/london-air-pollution-down-since-ulez-expansion-study https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/07/london-a...
- ajkjk 1y ago
  That's the cynical take, but as far as I can tell it is far from universally true. You just hear about all the bad cases. Not to mention, the the way it pulls on policy can be much more subtle than getting bills passed.

ZYbCRq22HbJ2y7 1y ago

Are there studies showing indoor air pollution from cooking in a residential setting is linked to dementia?

krapht 1y ago
I've seen media reports from China about elevated lung cancer rates in non-smoking women. Just as scary, IMO. That being said, Chinese cooking makes much greater usage of stir-frying, and it's well known that most residential ventilation hoods are wholly inadequate for the task.
Havoc 1y ago
Not sure - it may very well be a different kind of pollution, but the raw PM2.5 values definitely look scary fast with any kind of "dry" cooking where you're browning anything
- jodrellblank 1y ago
  The raw PM2.5 values also skyrocket with just boiling tap water, on my Ikea Vindstyrka. Which makes me question how useful it is, presumably even with "dry" cooking a lot of meats and vegetables have water in them? https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/vindstyrka-air-quality-sensor-smart-40498234/ https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/vindstyrka-air-quality-sensor-s...
  - Taek 1y ago
    It's actually not been established (at least, to the best of my knowledge) that PM2.5 caused by water vapor is any less harmful than other types of PM2.5 particulates. And sure, yes, it's just water and its entirely plausible that water based PM2.5 is completely harmless... but wouldn't it be good to know that for sure?
    - jader201 1y ago
      Wouldn't that suggest that, at least to some degree, dementia would be elevated in humid vs. dry climates?

skybrian 1y ago

An air purifier is pretty cheap and will cut down on indoor pollution from cooking a lot. Or at least that’s how it seemed from the somewhat unreliable sensor I was using. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-air-purifier/ https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-air-purifier...

FollowingTheDao 1y ago
I am homeless, I live in a minivan, and I have a solar battery charger with a small carbon filter/HEPA air filter that I use every night and it helps me so much. I am a very "sensitive" person to many things in the environment, but many times while traveling i find myself in the midst of wildfire smoke. (I also carry a facemask respirator for the same reason).
dynm 1y ago
FWIW, I think the wirecutter's quality for air purifiers is pretty bad, and likely more influenced by affiliate payments than science: https://dynomight.net/ikea-purifier/ https://dynomight.net/ikea-purifier/
- thadk 1y ago
  I tried the cheap IKEA model and with my severe dust mite allergies the model was insufficient in comparison to calm my sixth sinus-bound sense. My main suspicion: In my last 3 abodes with pre-1955 construction in East Coast, the pre-filter on the top Wirecutter pick needs to be cleaned 3x per carbon filter replacement in order to reduce largest particle accumulation on the carbon or HEPA filters. The inexpensive IKEA model did not have a viable and easily cleaned pre filter as far as I could figure out.
  - terribleperson 1y ago
    The ikea Fornuftig has a snap-on piece of cloth covered plastic that serves as a pre-filter, a replaceable particle filter, and a replaceable optional gas filter. I've found that taking a shop vac and leaf blower to the pre-filter works quite well to get it clean. That said, the Ikea air purifiers only make sense if you have a room that's about the right size for the Fornuftig. Their larger purifier is worse value, and you're better off looking at something like the Squair.

jader201 1y ago

Wouldn't we see dementia occurrence higher among cooks, then? Or do we?