Cooking Emits More Fine Particles Than Traffic in Cities
A UK study finds home and restaurant cooking now outweighs vehicle exhaust as an ultrafine particle source in central London and Beijing.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Cooking
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Research led by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology found cooking emits more ultrafine particulate matter than vehicle exhausts in central London and Beijing. The findings reflect how sharply traffic pollution has fallen while cooking emissions have become a larger share of urban air pollution.
Why it matters
Vehicle exhaust regulations have been highly effective, leaving cooking emissions as a larger share of urban pollution than before. Cooking emissions were only recently included in the London Atmospheric Emission Inventory, which may have understated their role.
Measurements in London were taken from the atmospheric observatory at the top of the 190m-tall BT Tower, where cooking accounted for up to 83% of midday PM1 emissions. In Beijing, cooking accounted for up to 61% of midday PM1 emissions, while UK vehicle exhaust fine particulate emissions fell 94% between 1996 and 2024.
The players
UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)
A UK government-funded research centre that studies terrestrial and freshwater environments, including air quality and atmospheric science.
National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS)
A UK research centre that conducts atmospheric science and monitoring, including long-running observations of urban air quality.
The details
Researchers from the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and collaborators measured ultrafine particles using flux measurements, comparing cooking emissions with traffic exhaust. Most particulate matter in London and Beijing forms through atmospheric chemical reactions rather than direct emission, while traffic and combustion remained the main sources of emissions in Delhi.
Timeline
1996: Period when UK vehicle exhaust fine particulate emissions began a 94% decline through 2024.
2011: UKCEH and NCAS began monitoring London emissions at the BT Tower.
2024: End of the period in which UK vehicle exhaust fine particulate emissions had fallen 94%.
Health Landscape
The findings come as UK vehicle exhaust fine particulate emissions have fallen 94% since 1996, so cooking has become a proportionally larger source of urban ultrafine particles. Increasing electrification of road vehicles is expected to reduce exhaust particulate emissions further, shifting attention toward kitchen sources.
Better filtration of kitchen fumes could achieve improvements in air quality relatively quickly, according to the research. Using ventilation or extraction while cooking is a practical step readers can take to reduce their exposure to ultrafine particles.
The takeaway
Running kitchen extraction while cooking is a simple way to cut ultrafine particle exposure at home. The study suggests that clean air policy will need to look beyond vehicles to everyday kitchen activity.
Further reading
For more on how everyday habits affect indoor and urban air, see our Cooking section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Eurasia Review.
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