While small home appliances are intended to make our lives easier, they can also come with significant health risks. Researchers have characterized the ultrafine particles emitted by some small home gadgets equipped with electric heating coils and brushed DC motors. Credit: Professor Changhyuk Kim, Pusan National University.

Indoor air quality has become an urgent concern in recent times, as we spend a considerable amount of time inside our home. Advances in measurement technologies have revealed that small, otherwise invisible ultrafine particles (UFPs) pose a significant threat to indoor air quality.

While there are outdoor sources of these particulate air pollutants, the most common source lies indoors. The UFPs emitted by small home appliances equipped with electric heating coils and brushed DC motors can reach the users as they are deployed close to the users without any preventive shield.

Study overview and research motivation

In a new study published by Pusan National University (PNU), a group of researchers led by Professor Changhyuk Kim (Ph.D.), characterize the UFPs emitted by some small electric home appliances using heating coils and brushed DC motors and assess the health hazards of the inhaled UFPs.

"Understanding the source of the pollutants helps to develop preventive measures and policies for keeping healthy indoor air quality," mentioned Dr. Kim, while talking about the motivation behind the study.

This paper was published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.

Assessment methods and findings

The assessment was done for three different types of small electric home appliances– hairdryers, air fryers, and toasters. Hairdryers with brushless motors were compared for the study to identify the UFP emission from the brushed motors in the gadgets.

The amounts of UFPs emitted by each device were measured, and the chemical compositions and morphologies of heavy metals within the particles were analyzed. The team also used a simulation model to understand how the ultrafine particles affect our respiratory tracts that are most susceptible.

The study showed that most of these appliances emit large quantities of UFPs and the amount of emissions often varied based on the operating temperature. Devices equipped with brushed DC motors and heating coils released up to 10–100 times higher total particle number concentrations compared to brushless types.

The heating coils in small electric home appliances frequently contained heavy metals such as copper, iron, aluminum, silver, and titanium. "These associated heavy metals increase the risk of cytotoxicity and inflammation when the particles enter the human body," mentioned Dr. Kim.

Health implications and recommendations

The simulation model-based study showed that the UFPs are deposited predominantly in the alveolar region of the lungs. Because children have smaller airway diameters, higher deposition fractions, and greater deposition volume per body weight, they face a higher health risk than adults.

This research can help to reshape how we select home appliances for better indoor air quality, safety and product performance. The findings from this study can be applied to improve the design and regulation of small electric home appliances.

Manufacturers can adopt brushless motors and optimized heating components to minimize UFP emissions from the products. Policies and guidelines regarding the manufacture of these gadgets can be made based on the findings of this study.

"Our study emphasizes the need for emission-aware electrical appliance design and age-specific indoor air quality guidelines. In the long term, reducing UFP emissions from everyday devices will contribute to healthier indoor environments and lower chronic exposure risks, particularly for young children, than the current status. Moreover, this framework can be extended to other consumer products, guiding future innovations toward human health protection," concludes Dr. Kim.

More information: Geun-wu Ryu et al, Physicochemical characteristics and health impacts of ultrafine particles emitted from small home appliances equipped with heating coils and brushed motors, Journal of Hazardous Materials (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.139796

Citation: Ultrafine particles from small home appliances may pose health hazards (2025, December 8) retrieved 8 December 2025 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-ultrafine-particles-small-home-appliances.html

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