Cooking sticks around

New evidence suggests that particulate emissions from cooking stay in the atmosphere for longer than previously thought, making a prolonged contribution to poor air quality and human health. Cooking emissions make up as much as ten per cent of UK particulate pollution and survive in the atmosphere for several days. The research suggests that the fatty acid molecules react with molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere. During the reaction process, a coating, or crust is formed around the outside of the particle that protects the fatty acid inside from gases such as ozone, which would otherwise break up the particles.