Those delicious smells may be impacting air quality – NOAA Research

A new study finds that air pollutants emitted from cooking can account for nearly a quarter of human-caused volatile organic compounds in dense urban areas.

Stroll along the downtown streets of any major city around dinner time and you’re bound to encounter mouth-watering aromas enticing hungry patrons to nearby restaurants like moths to a flame. 

If there’s one thing the researchers at NOAA’s Chemical Sciences Laboratory (CSL) have learned in their multi-year deep dive investigation into the unrecognized and underappreciated sources of urban air pollution, it’s this: If you can smell it, there’s a good chance it’s impacting air quality. 

When it comes to those delicious food smells, the impact could be significant—according to a new study quantifying cooking emissions in the urban air of downtown Las Vegas that was recently published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry & Physics.

“What we’re  looking at from cooking are primarily oxygenated VOCs, or volatile organic compounds,” said Matt Coggon, a research chemist at CSL and lead author of the study. “These are quite reactive in the air, so we expect they’ll be important for air quality.” 

From Sin City to the City of Angels

The research was part of CSL’s 2021 SUNVEx field campaign, conducted with a mobile laboratory and ground sites in Los Angeles and Las Vegas in collaboration with university colleagues from CIRES and state air quality managers to investigate current air quality issues in southwestern U.S. urban areas.

Las Vegas’ ascendant restaurant scene is having a moment. Home to one of the highest restaurant densities in the United States—a whopping 666 restaurants per 100,000 people, Sin City also has persistent air quality concerns, especially along the famous Las Vegas Strip, with its high density of casinos, hotels, bars and restaurants.

Coggon and his team of researchers determined that on average, 21% of the total mass of human-caused VOCs present in Las Vegas’ outdoor air were from cooking activities. Depending on the time of day, cooking VOCs ranged from from 10% to 30% of the total.

The discovery that cooking emissions could account for nearly a quarter of the urban VOCs was unexpected, particularly given that the U.S. National Emissions Inventory (NEI) estimates this source at an insignificant 1%. On an absolute basis, the NEI underestimates cooking emissions by a factor of 5–10. 

Coggon said based on the new findings, cooking emissions could be the single largest missing source of urban VOCs in current air quality models, which could have important ramifications for air quality management. 

Given Las Vegas’ particularly high density of restaurants, these measurements may represent the upper range of cooking’s influence on air quality in the U.S. Even so, research in other cities is indicating that cooking emissions may be a big, unsolved piece of the air quality puzzle in major cities worldwide.

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SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination.
   • Indicator 3.9.1: Mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution.

2. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.
   • Indicator 11.6.2: Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (e.g., PM2.5) in cities (population-weighted).

3. SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

   • Target 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water, and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.
   • Indicator 12.4.2: Hazardous waste generated per capita and proportion of hazardous waste treated, disaggregated by treatment type.

Analysis

The article discusses the impact of cooking emissions on urban air quality, specifically in downtown Las Vegas. Based on the content of the article, the following analysis can be made:

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The issues highlighted in the article are connected to the following SDGs:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

The specific targets identified based on the article’s content are:

• Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination.
• Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.
• Target 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water, and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets are:

• Indicator 3.9.1: Mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution.
• Indicator 11.6.2: Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (e.g., PM2.5) in cities (population-weighted).
• Indicator 12.4.2: Hazardous waste generated per capita and proportion of hazardous waste treated, disaggregated by treatment type.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDGs	Targets	Indicators
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being	Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination.	Indicator 3.9.1: Mortality rate attributed to household and ambient air pollution.
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities	Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.	Indicator 11.6.2: Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (e.g., PM2.5) in cities (population-weighted).
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production	Target 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water, and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.	Indicator 12.4.2: Hazardous waste generated per capita and proportion of hazardous waste treated, disaggregated by treatment type.

Copyright: Dive into this article, curated with care by SDG Investors Inc. Our advanced AI technology searches through vast amounts of data to spotlight how we are all moving forward with the Sustainable Development Goals. While we own the rights to this content, we invite you to share it to help spread knowledge and spark action on the SDGs.

Fuente: research.noaa.gov

 

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