Impact of emissions of volatile organic compounds from restaurants on ambient air quality and health: Case study in beijing

Cooking fumes are important sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Compared with home cooking, commercial cooking uses a higher number of stoves, consumes more oil, operates for longer hours, and performs more complex cooking processes and usage of seasoning, resulting in more serious pollution. In this study, we collected samples of cooking fumes from six common types of restaurants in Beijing, and investigated their emission characteristics. We analyzed the secondary transformations of VOCs in cooking fumes and their impacts on human health. Results show that oxygenated VOCs (O-VOCs) accounted for the highest proportion of VOCs emitted by all types of restaurants (47.67-73.46%), with ethanol being their most significant component (27.04-62.31%). The ozone formation potential (OFP) were the highest from canteen emissions, and secondary organic aerosol potential (SOAP) were the highest from barbecue emissions. Among VOCs, aromatic hydrocar-bons contributed the most to atmospheric SOA in all types of restaurants, exceeding 80%. The carcinogenic risks of the Class 1 carcinogens benzene and 1,3-butadiene in VOCs of barbecue emissions were the highest, and did not exceed acceptable levels. The non-carcinogenic risks were high from both barbecue and canteen without exceeding threshold values. This study can serve as an important basis for assessing the contribution of VOCs from restaurants in Beijing to secondary pollutants and their impacts on human health, and lead to the accurate determinations of the focus of pollution control.