Recent studies related to fast food cooking have found that a number of contaminants are released into the air that could compromise the health of both employees and customers, once again showing how an effective air filtration system is necessary for good health.
Fast food restaurants serve an obvious purpose: delivering food at a rapid pace that customers can consume quickly and be on their way.
But what many fast food lovers don’t ever consider is the price of cooking with such speed is often paid by the release of contaminants that can not only significantly lower the air quality, but also cause breathing illnesses.
Contaminants Created by High-Heat Cooking
Hamburgers are one of the most common and popular fast food items throughout the world. For fast food restaurant owners, burger patties are inexpensive and cook in a very short period of time, especially when placed on a super-hot griddle.
And yet a recent study in Hong Kong revealed that grilling just four hamburgers in a fast food restaurant, releases the same amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as is released from a car driven for 1,000 miles.
That’s a troubling statistic to ponder, the fact that just four small hamburgers that are grilled can emit that amount of VOCs into the air.
And that’s not even taking into account the contaminants released by fine-dining restaurants, of which there are more than 9,000 in Hong Kong alone.
These contaminants are created when elements such as oils and fats cooked at extreme high temperatures form hydrocarbons that are harmful once released into the air.
Another air quality study in New Jersey found that 16,000 restaurants are responsible for releasing as much as 2,226 tons of particulates into the air.
This number was found to exceed the amount of particulates released by all the diesel vehicles in the state, which would include commercial vehicles such as delivery trucks, buses, dump trucks and waste disposal trucks.
These heavy commercial vehicles released 1,329 tons of particulates into the air every year.
Efforts to Combat Fast Food and Restaurant Air Pollution
The health implications for fast food cooking emissions are not just troubling for those who work in these places, but for those who visit these facilities to enjoy a meal.
Many fast food restaurants are enclosed, which means that a greater amount of particulates and VOCs remain trapped indoors.
That also means that customers are inhaling these contaminants each time they stop in for lunch or dinner, and for millions of people, fast food is a daily ritual.
So what’s to be done?
Air filtration is obviously the first answer, and more fast food restaurants are beginning to incorporate an air filtration strategy as part of their operating ethos.
And in states such as California, that may soon not just be an option.
Restaurants in the Bay Area which utilize commercial grills for cooking, will soon have to purchase catalytic converters that can help lower the amount of pollutants indoors.
Emission control has become one of the new buzzwords in many fast food restaurants, as increased awareness of air quality is forcing the owners of these facilities to provide a healthy environment for customers to come and enjoy their meals.
Camfil Air Filtration Offers Clean Air Solutions
As part of its governing principle of providing clean air as a human right, Camfil air filtration company offers the most advanced air filtration systems in the world. For more than 50 years, Camfil has built its reputation on designing state-of-the-art filters that can eliminate the tiniest particulates, and cleanse the air of noxious odors. No matter the level of high-heat cooking in a fast food restaurant, Camfil’s air filtration products can offer solutions that improve the air quality and enhance the customer-dining experience.
Lynne Laake
Camfil USA Air Filters
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