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Fine and ultrafine particle emissions from microwave popcorn
Author(s) -
Zhang Q.,
Avalos J.,
Zhu Y.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
indoor air
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.387
H-Index - 99
eISSN - 1600-0668
pISSN - 0905-6947
DOI - 10.1111/ina.12069
Subject(s) - ultrafine particle , particle (ecology) , microwave , environmental science , materials science , waste management , engineering , nanotechnology , telecommunications , geology , oceanography
This study characterized fine ( PM 2.5 ) and ultrafine particle ( UFP , diameter < 100 nm) emissions from microwave popcorn and analyzed influential factors. Each pre‐packed popcorn bag was cooked in a microwave oven enclosed in a stainless steel chamber for 3 min. The number concentration and size distribution of UFP s and PM 2.5 mass concentration were measured inside the chamber repeatedly for five different flavors under four increasing power settings using either the foil‐lined original package or a brown paper bag. UFP s and PM 2.5 generated by microwaving popcorn were 150–560 and 350–800 times higher than the emissions from microwaving water, respectively. About 90% of the total particles emitted were in the ultrafine size range. The emitted PM concentrations varied significantly with flavor. Replacing the foil‐lined original package with a brown paper bag significantly reduced the peak concentration by 24–87% for total particle number and 36–70% for PM 2.5 . A positive relationship was observed between both UFP number and PM 2.5 mass and power setting. The emission rates of microwave popcorn ranged from 1.9 × 10 10 to 8.0 × 10 10 No./min for total particle number and from 134 to 249 μg/min for PM 2.5 .