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Cooking can put lungs at risk

A man and woman cook together.

Aug. 27, 2026— You might not think of your home as a place where air pollution can affect the health of your lungs. But it can be, and cooking is often a source of potentially unhealthy air.

How cooking pollutes your kitchen

Cooking can release tiny particles into the air that, when breathed in, can irritate the lungs and affect how well they work, notes the American Lung Association (ALA). And, in some situations, harmful gases can be a byproduct of cooking.

The types of appliances, the cooking methods used and even the types of foods you cook can influence the types of pollutants released into your home, according to the ALA. For example:

  • Gas stoves release more harmful particles than electric stoves (although electric stoves can still contribute to this problem).
  • Frying, deep-frying, grilling and browning foods release more pollutants than other cooking methods. Broiling or overheating foods can release harmful gases, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and formaldehyde.
  • Cooking meat tends to produce more pollutants than cooking vegetables.

Cookware counts too

If you overheat a nonstick pan to a very high temperature, it could release toxic fumes that can make you sick. This illness is called polymer fume fever, and its symptoms include trouble breathing, fever and a sore throat, the AARP reports.

Beware of 'baker's lung'

Here's another way food preparation can affect the health of your lungs: People who work with flour a lot-such as bakery workers, pizza makers and flour mill workers-sometimes develop asthma-like symptoms, such as wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness. People with this condition may become sensitive to proteins in the flour or other ingredients they bake with through repeated exposures.

One clue as to whether you might have baker's lung? Your symptoms may improve on the weekends, when you're not around baking ingredients.

Clear the air

Everyone deserves healthy air to breathe, but some people need to be especially mindful of their indoor air quality. For example, if you have a lung disease like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cleaner indoor air can help you manage your symptoms and prevent flare-ups.

A few simple actions can help keep the air in your home cleaner:

Turn on the fan when you cook. Use a fan or range hood to send cooking pollutants outside. If you don't have either of these appliances, open a window when you cook. Use the back burner. Doing so places pots and pans directly under the fan or hood so that more particles are captured and removed.

Put on a lid on it. When possible, cover pots and pans when cooking to contain more airborne particles emitted by the food.

Be careful not to overcook food. Burning food releases more pollutants.

Take it outside. Since high-heat cooking makes more pollutants in your kitchen, consider grilling meat outdoors on a barbecue grill.

Try to avoid getting a lot of dry ingredients into the air. For example, take care when shaking or pouring flour. Also, consider wearing a mask to prevent inhaling baking dust, especially if you work around flour.

Install a carbon monoxide detector on every level of your home. In the event of a carbon monoxide leak, the alarm will sound so you know to leave the home. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, invisible gas produced by fuel-burning appliances, like gas stoves. An improperly ventilated gas stove can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.

If it's time to replace your stove, consider switching to an electric or convection appliance. They emit fewer particles than gas stoves.

How's the air in there?

Cooking-related fumes is just one potential source of unhealthy air at home. Learn about other things that can bother breathing indoors and what you can do.

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