About the Study
PSE Healthy Energy, Stanford University, and Forward Dining Solutions are collaborating to study workers’ exposure to pollutants emitted from gas and electric appliances in commercial kitchens. During this study, researchers will use scientific-grade analyzers to monitor indoor air quality in multiple participating commercial kitchens.
If selected, you will receive a $500 gift card.
Who Can Participate
We are seeking commercial kitchens with electric and/or gas appliances, such as restaurants, cafés, hotels, assisted living facilities, and other kitchens with commercial-grade appliances, to participate in our study. We are particularly interested in full-service establishments with commercial ventilation hoods and at least two major appliances (such as ovens, fryers, ranges, etc.). However, we encourage all commercial kitchens to sign up for our study! Participating commercial kitchens should be comfortable with the following requirements:
- grant researchers access to the kitchen for about 4 hours during slow or non-operational hours for equipment setup and takedown;
- allow a minimum of 24 hours of continuous air quality measurement during normal kitchen operation which researchers may not be on-site for the entire duration;
- provide adequate floorspace in or nearby the kitchen for sampling equipment (see photos below); and
- allow plastic tubing to be secured to the ceiling throughout the kitchen.
We will work closely with kitchen management to ensure that our equipment and monitoring processes do not interfere with kitchen activities or pose any safety risks.
Our sampling setup includes various air quality analyzers, pictured above.
Here we secured a line of hosing inside of a ventilation hood.
Here we secured hosing to the ceiling to collect air samples from different parts of the kitchen.
How to Participate
Please follow this link and answer the short questionnaire to sign up for the study. If you are selected to participate, we will notify you via email and will set up a brief phone or in-person meeting to discuss details and next steps.
Benefits of Participating
Upon completion of sampling, participating commercial kitchen managers or owners will receive a $500 USD gift card to the vendor of their choice. We will additionally provide each participant with their results in an air quality report. Please be assured that all participation is confidential. We will never disclose any identifiable data, such as establishment names or addresses to the public or other participants, without your written consent. Any results from participating kitchens will be de-identified in any publications or presentations.
Contact Us
For any questions, please contact naturalgasstudy@psehealthyenergy.org or call us at (510) 263-6189.
Study Flyer
