No Carcinogenic Smoke

Do you know that cooking oil fume kills?

Cooking Oil Fume is the hidden East Asian Killer

It is well known that around the world, smoking is the top risk factor for lung cancer.

In most part of the world, women who never smoke have the lowest risk for lung cancer. However, it has long been documented that the incidence of lung cancer is abnormally high among East Asian women who never smoke.

The likely culprit? Fumes from the cooking oil!

Research Evidence

Epidemiological

Note that although the epidemiological studies are mostly done in women, males are not exempted from the harmful effects of cooking oil fumes.

Chen TY, Fang YH, Chen HL, et al. Impact of cooking oil fume exposure and fume extractor use on lung cancer risk in non-smoking Han Chinese women. Sci Rep. 2020;10(1):6774.

Xue Y, Jiang Y, Jin S, Li Y. Association between cooking oil fume exposure and lung cancer among Chinese nonsmoking women: a meta-analysis. Onco Targets Ther. 2016;9:2987-2992.

Wang XR, Chiu YL, Qiu H, Au JS, Yu IT. The roles of smoking and cooking emissions in lung cancer risk among Chinese women in Hong Kong. Ann Oncol. 2009;20(4):746-751.

Ko YC, Cheng LS, Lee CH, et al. Chinese food cooking and lung cancer in women nonsmokers. Am J Epidemiol. 2000;151(2):140-147.

Chemical

Cooking oil fumes contain pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), aldehydes, volatile organic compounds, and PM2.5.

Chiang TA, Wu PF, Ko YC. Identification of carcinogens in cooking oil fumes. Environ Res. 1999;81(1):18-22.