The Hidden Dangers of Cooking Fumes and How to Protect Yourself

Experts reveal how kitchen fumes can harm your lungs, heart, and brain.
The Hidden Dangers of Cooking Fumes and How to Protect Yourself
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When cooking oil and ingredients hit high temperatures, the resulting kitchen fumes do more than fill your home with unpleasant odors. These invisible clouds may be silently damaging your health, increasing your risk of cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and various respiratory conditions, according to numerous studies.

Toxicology experts and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners have identified practical ways to reduce exposure to cooking fumes, protect lung health, and strengthen the body’s natural defenses.

How Cooking Fumes Harm Your Body

The composition of cooking fumes is highly complex. When cooking oil and food are exposed to high temperatures, thermal decomposition and degradation can produce a variety of harmful chemical compounds, Tzung-Hai Yen, a food safety and toxicology expert at the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital International Medical Center in Taiwan, told The Epoch Times.

Because we stand very close to the stove, these fumes enter the body easily and quickly, allowing harmful substances to travel deep into the lungs before we even notice.