Real-time monitoring and control of cooking fumes: Implementation strategies for school kitchens

Cooking fumes in school kitchens contain hazardous pollutants, including particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO), and formaldehyde (HCHO), which pose significant health risks to staff. Conventional ventilation standards offer general guidelines but are insufficient for managing real-time fluctuations in pollutant concentrations. This study proposes a real-time monitoring and control strategy that integrates low-cost sensors, spatial correction for breathing zone exposure, and Short-Term Exposure Limit (STEL)-based algorithms. The system dynamically adjusts exhaust ventilation to mitigate acute exposure peaks while minimizing unnecessary operation. Field application in a school kitchen demonstrated that 15-min STEL-based control effectively reduced short-term exposure risks and optimized blower operation, with a 67 % reduction in trigger frequency compared to 1-min monitoring. A visual alarm alerts staff when concentrations exceed thresholds, enabling timely action. By accounting for spatial and temporal variability in pollutant emissions, this approach addresses the limitations of fixed ventilation rates, providing a performance-based, responsive solution for cooking environments. The methodology is scalable to other institutional or commercial kitchens, enhancing indoor air quality (IAQ) management and occupational health protection. The findings offer practical guidance for policymakers and facility managers to implement adaptive ventilation systems that improve health outcomes and environmental safety in high-load indoor environments where pollutant concentrations can change rapidly.