Cooking Impacts PM 1 in Suburban New York, With Implications for Respiratory Deposition

Sub–micron particulate matter (PM 1 ) in the New York (NY) metropolitan area impacts air quality and human health. We characterized refractory black carbon (BC) and non–refractory (NR) PM 1 in Mineola, NY during winter 2024 and NR‐PM 1 during summer 2023. This study investigated seasonal differences in PM 1 , drivers of wintertime PM 1 elevated events, and potential respiratory exposure based on measured PM properties. Organic aerosol (OA) dominates both winter (63%) and summer (86%) NR–PM 1 while BC comprised 6% of winter PM 1 . Primary OA dominates winter PM 1 (57%) with cooking organic aerosol (COA) contributing on average 29%, but up to 81%, of elevated PM 1 events. In summer, OA was impacted by wildfire smoke and biogenic sources and COA averaged only 9% of OA, but sporadically enhanced OA. In winter, COA drove several PM 1 events, during which coating thickness increased. Modeled deposition rates allowed us to explore potential impacts of aerosol size on the human respiratory tract. Simulated deposition indicated urban PM 1 primarily deposited to the sensitive alveolar region. BC–containing particles exacerbated this effect relative to cores in the same size range. Canadian wildfire events during summer 2023 enhanced total deposition to the lungs when weighted by mass, with relative deposition favoring the nose, throat, and associated head airways more than other summer periods. Our observations demonstrate that cooking is an important local source of PM 1 in urban regions throughout the year, and that BC and NR‐PM 1 from multiple sources potentially pose a threat to respiratory deposition and community health.