Short-Term Health Outcomes of Cooking UFP Exposure

NCT07311967 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: STUDY2025-1120
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 15
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study examines the short-term respiratory and cognitive effects of exposure to ultrafine particles (UFPs) generated during typical household cooking. Healthy adults will complete two 6-hour sessions in a controlled exposure chamber at the University of Illinois Chicago: one control day with clean indoor air and one exposure day during which standardized cooking (frying potatoes and grilling beef) is performed by research staff. Participants will not cook or handle food. Lung function will be measured using peak expiratory flow (PEF), and cognitive performance will be assessed using validated tests including the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised and the Processing Speed Index from the WAIS-IV. Airborne particle and gas concentrations in the chamber will be continuously monitored to ensure that exposures remain within levels typical of everyday home cooking. Findings will help characterize acute physiological responses to indoor cooking emissions and inform future research on indoor air quality and potential mitigation strategies.

Conditions

Cognitive Function Decline; Air Pollution Exposure; Respiratory Inflammation

Keywords

Cooking emissions; Neurocognitive function; Respiratory symptoms; Ultrafine particles

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Change in Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R) Total Recall Score

  Cognitive performance related to verbal memory will be assessed using the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R). The primary metric will be the change in HVLT-R Total Recall Score between exposure and control conditions, calculated from repeated assessments to evaluate short-term cognitive effects of ultrafine particle exposure.

  Measured at baseline and at approximately 1, 2, 3, and 5 hours after session start on both study days

• Change in Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF)

  Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF) will be measured using a handheld peak flow meter to assess short-term changes in lung function following exposure to cooking-generated ultrafine particles compared with the clean-air control day. Changes are evaluated within subjects using repeated measurements across both conditions.

  Measured at baseline and at approximately 1, 2, 3, and 5 hours after session start on both study days

• Change in WAIS Symbol Search Raw Score

  Cognitive performance related to processing speed and visual attention will be assessed using the Symbol Search subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS). The primary metric will be the change in WAIS Symbol Search raw score between exposure and control conditions, calculated from repeated assessments to evaluate short-term cognitive effects of ultrafine particle exposure.

  Measured at baseline and at approximately 1, 2, 3, and 5 hours after session start on both study days

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Ultrafine Particle Number Size Distribution in particles/cm3

  Continuously measured average concentration with one minute intervals during each study session on control and exposure days, from session start to session end (approximately 5 hours per session), across both study periods.

• Fine Particle Mass Concentrations (PM2.5) in microgram/cm3

  Continuously measured average concentration with one minute intervals during each study session on control and exposure days, from session start to session end (approximately 5 hours per session), across both study periods

• Total Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) concentration in ppm

  Continuously measured average concentration with one minute intervals during each study session on control and exposure days, from session start to session end (approximately 5 hours per session), across both study periods

• CO2 concentration in ppm

  Continuously measured average concentration with one minute intervals during each study session on control and exposure days, from session start to session end (approximately 5 hours per session), across both study periods

• CO concentration in ppm

  Continuously measured average concentration with one minute intervals during each study session on control and exposure days, from session start to session end (approximately 5 hours per session), across both study periods

Other Outcomes (3)

• Temperature Condition in Exposure Chamber

  Continuously measured average concentration with one minute intervals during each study session on control and exposure days, from session start to session end (approximately 5 hours per session), across both study periods

• Number of Participants Reporting Acute Symptoms During Study Sessions

  Assessed at baseline and at approximately 1, 2, 3, and 5 hours after session start on control and exposure days

• Relative Humidity Condition in Exposure Chamber

  Continuously measured average concentration with one minute intervals during each study session on control and exposure days, from session start to session end (approximately 5 hours per session), across both study periods

Study Arms (2)

Control Condition (Clean Indoor Air)

OTHER

Participants will complete a control study session conducted in a controlled exposure chamber with clean indoor air and no cooking activity. Respiratory, cognitive, and physiological outcomes will be assessed during the session.

Other: Clean Indoor Air Exposure (Control)

Cooking Emissions Exposure

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will complete an exposure study session conducted in the same controlled exposure chamber during which cooking activities generate ultrafine particles. Respiratory, cognitive, and physiological outcomes will be assessed during the session.

Other: Exposure to Cooking-Generated Ultrafine Particles and Gases

Interventions

Clean Indoor Air Exposure (Control) OTHER

Participants will be exposed to clean indoor air in a controlled exposure chamber with no cooking activity. This condition serves as the control session for within-subject comparisons.

Control Condition (Clean Indoor Air)

Exposure to Cooking-Generated Ultrafine Particles and Gases OTHER

Participants will be exposed to cooking-generated ultrafine particles and associated gases in a controlled exposure chamber during standardized cooking activities.

Cooking Emissions Exposure

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Adults 18 years of age or older
• Able to understand and speak English sufficiently to complete cognitive testing
• Able and willing to complete two consecutive study sessions lasting approximately 6 hours each
• Able to avoid cooking, toasting, and fume-generating household activities (e.g., strong cleaning products, ironing, hair drying) for 24 hours before each session
• Able to avoid tobacco, marijuana, vaping, and alcohol use as specified in the study protocol
• Able to provide informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• Younger than 18 years old
• Pregnant or planning pregnancy during study participation
• Current smoking or use of:
• Cigarettes
• E-cigarettes or vaping devices
• Marijuana
• Shisha/hookah
• Binge drinking, heavy alcohol use, or inability to abstain from alcohol for 24 hours before study visits
• Restaurant chefs or individuals who perform frequent commercial-level cooking
• Individuals who cook two or more frying or grilling meals per day at home
• Cooking anxiety or mageirocophobia
• Any diagnosed neurological disease, including stroke, seizure disorder, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, dementia, or similar conditions
• Any significant respiratory disease, including:
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Untreated severe asthma

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Illinois at Chicago: lead
• University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

UIC

Chicago, Illinois, 60612, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Signs and Symptoms, Respiratory

Interventions

Gases

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Inorganic Chemicals

Study Officials

• Mehdi Amouei Torkmahalleh, PhD

  University of Illinois Chicago

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Mehdi Amouei Torkmahalleh, PhD

CONTACT

8326077765; mehdiat@uic.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Model Details: This study uses a two-period randomized crossover design in which each participant completes both conditions: a control session with clean indoor air and an exposure session involving cooking-generated ultrafine particles. The two sessions occur on consecutive days in the same controlled exposure chamber, and participants serve as their own control to allow within-subject comparisons of respiratory and cognitive responses.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 28, 2025
• First Posted: December 31, 2025
• Study Start: January 2, 2026
• Primary Completion: March 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2026
• Last Updated: December 31, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)