When designing your luxury kitchen renovation, it is not only crucial to think about the aesthetic you want for your contemporary kitchen. It is essential to consider the health implications of the appliances and materials you specify in your kitchen.
In particular, the importance of rangehoods is often overlooked in a luxury kitchen renovation. The ventilation supplied by rangehoods plays an essential role in safeguarding the health of your household members and guests. The powerful suction from a rangehood pulls dust, grease, cooking odours and other pollutants from the kitchen, and replaces the room with fresh air.
Scientific Study Investigates the Dangers of Cooking with Natural Gas
While many studies have already proven the dangerous effects of cooking with natural gas burners. The researchers of the 2014 “Pollutant exposures from natural gas cooking burners” study, examined in real-time how Southern California households use their kitchens. Therefore, producing the most realistic data of how a typical household is affected by regular use of a kitchen gas cooktop.
The research simulations re-enacted real-life Southern California households who cooked at least once per week using natural gas cooking burners.
The results found that without concurrent use of venting rangehoods – 62% of occupants were routinely exposed to high levels of NO₂ (Nitrogen dioxide), 9% to high levels of CO (Carbon monoxide), and 53% to high levels of HCHO (Formaldehyde). The study indicated these concentrations exceeded the California State’s health-based standards.
What are the Risks Posed by Natural Gas Cookers?
Residential natural gas cooking burners emit two types of dangerous gases which are harmful to respiratory systems: carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). These air pollutants can affect the entire indoor air quality of a home and pose harmful health risks to household members.
Natural gas cooking without adequate ventilation is particularly dangerous for people with asthma, as the previously mentioned fumes have been associated with the exacerbation of asthma attacks and increases in the allergen sensitivities of people with asthma.
For people without asthma, the increased indoor NO2 concentrations from gas cooking have been associated with adverse health effects such as wheezing and decreased respiratory function, particularly in children and the elderly.
The health risks are further exacerbated within modern homes, because they are more tightly sealed with fewer windows than traditional homes, causing fumes to be trapped inside the home. Therefore, modern homes need to have powerful ventilating systems with higher capture efficiency.
What is the Solution?
Reducing pollutant exposures from natural gas burners should be a public health priority. Homes using natural gas burners without venting rangehoods are exposed to dangerous gases which exceed the governments’ health-based standards and guidelines.
The hazard posed by natural gas cooking burners can be mitigated substantially through the use of venting rangehoods. As their ventilation systems capture cooking burner pollutants and other airborne pollutants generated from cooking activities and release them outdoors. Even regular use of a moderately effective venting range hood dramatically reduces the percentage in which cooking gases negatively affects health.
Particularly for luxury kitchen renovations, protective functional elements can seamlessly fit into your contemporary kitchen renovation, as the luxury market offers so many attractive and stylish models.
Another solution can be to replace your gas cooktop with an electric or induction cooktop in your Sydney kitchen renovation. While electric cooktops still produce smoke when cooking, they release much fewer fume emissions, significantly reducing the health risk.
Even with an electric cooktop, your kitchen must have a rangehood installed over the cooktop in order to ventilate the kitchen from airborne pollutants effectively. The hood should be wider than the cooktop to successfully capture smoke and grease, while drawing fresh air around the cooktop.
Dan Kitchen’s custom kitchen designs gives your contemporary renovation even more options. For example, your rangehood can be discreetly installed behind your cabinetry with an under-mount range hood or with a downdraft design, your range hood can be installed within your benchtop. Discover the ultimate buyers guide to rangehoods for luxury kitchens in Dan Kitchen’s previous article here.
Not only are rangehoods scientifically proven to improve indoor air quality and reduce the risk of health complications for your family. Rangehoods have many more benefits, including:
Removing uncomfortable heat from cooking as well as smells, moisture and airborne particles.
Capturing odours before they deposit onto your kitchen cabinets, walls, drapery, carpet, or clothing.
Helping prevent the growth of mould and bacteria from grease build-up, cutting down the cleaning time of countertops and cooking areas. Which, in turn, prevents damage to the surfaces of your new kitchen design.
Offering additional lighting over the cooktop, making cooking and prep easier.
A Luxury Kitchen Renovation from Dan Kitchens
No matter if you need a large contemporary kitchen renovation in Hornsby or to a small contemporary kitchen renovation in Mosman, Dan Kitchen’s highly experienced teams are available to help you produce a beautiful and highly functional contemporary kitchen.
Are you ready to get started? Why don’t you speak to the expert kitchen design team at Dan Kitchens and get the premium designer look you desire, as well as all of the functionality you expect from a high-end kitchen. Check out the Dan Kitchens Portfolio to get full inspiration for your next contemporary luxury kitchen.
Dan Kitchens have highly experienced luxury kitchen designers and manufacturers with an unrivalled reputation for expertly made kitchens and joinery in Sydney. Visit our luxury kitchen showroom to see how the finest craftsmanship, coupled with high-quality materials and finishes, can transform your kitchen into a luxury oasis. We offer a fully project managed service, from an initial concept and manufacturing, right through to installation. Call us today on (02) 9624 2344, discover how Dan Kitchens uses Danish principles to design impressive custom kitchens.