Editor’s Note (May 3, 2023): New York became the first state to pass a law banning gas stoves and other gas-powered appliances in new buildings, including homes and apartment complexes. rice field. While the move aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, gas stoves also pose health risks, as explained in this article published in January 2023.
Over the past few days, the internet has been on fire over gas stoves. Specifically, whether gas stoves are harmful to human health and can or should be banned in the United States, but this is not a new question.
Scientists have long known that gas stoves irritate the human airway and release pollutants that can cause or exacerbate respiratory problems. It appears to have been triggered by recent comments made by Richard Trumka, Jr., Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), a government agency that addresses the risk of illness and injury from various products. Commenting on the commission’s plans to possibly regulate gas stoves, Tolmuka told Bloomberg his news: Products that cannot be made safe can be banned. “
In response to the, conservative politician (and Democratic Senator Joe Manchin) strongly opposed what they perceived to be an attempt to ban gas stoves. The Chair of the CPSC recently stated that the Commission No bans of any kind planned But we are seeking public comment to make gas stoves safer.
Scientific American spoke with several experts about the health and environmental risks posed by gas stoves. The answers below are based on their answers.
Do gas stoves emit gases harmful to human health?
Gas stoves burn natural gas and produce many invisible by-products. Of greatest concern to human health is nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The gas is produced when natural gas is burned at high temperatures in the presence of atmospheric nitrogen, says his Josiah Kephart, an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at Drexel University. “We’ve known it for a long time [nitrogen dioxide] It has many negative effects on health,” he says.
The Environmental Protection Agency regulates outdoor NO2 Set standards for safe exposure limits. However, there is no similar standard for indoor exposure.Nevertheless, studies dating back decades show detrimental effects from NO2 on a gas stove.
“Our knowledge of the health effects of outdoor NO2 It’s increased dramatically over the last decade, and we’ve found it poses far more health risks than previously thought,” says Kephart.and the effects of NO breathing2 Indoors or outdoors, it makes no difference. “It has the same effect on your body,” he says.
Investigations show that unburned natural gas is leaking from the stove, and this gas contains benzene, a known carcinogen. In general, when cooked, fine particles with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less (PM2.5), a known irritant that can cause or exacerbate respiratory problems.
What are the known health effects of NO2 exposure?
In a 1992 meta-analysis of studies on this topic, scientists from the EPA and Duke University found that exposure to nitrogen dioxide in amounts comparable to those from gas stoves reduced the odds of developing respiratory disease in children. We have found that it increases by about 20%. Since then, numerous studies have documented the effects of gas stove exposure on respiratory health. A 2013 meta-analysis of 41 studies found that gas cooking increased the risk of asthma in children and that NO2 Exposure is associated with current wheezing. Most recently, he attributed 12.7% of childhood asthma cases in the United States to gas stove use, according to a study published last December. (This result was obtained by multiplying previously reported measures of the risk of developing asthma from exposure to gas stoves by the proportion of children living in homes with gas stoves.)
The American Gas Association (AGA), the natural gas industry group, has released a statement opposing a December 2022 study linking gas cooking to asthma. The statement claimed that the authors of the study did not measure actual appliance use and ignored some of the scientific literature on the topic. He cited another study that found no evidence of an association with asthma symptoms.
Scientific American We also reached out to the American Public Gas Association, a nonprofit trade group, for comment, but did not receive a response to our questions at press time.
Most of the research on the health effects of cooking gas is observational, stating that deliberately exposing children to environmental risks is plainly unethical. Ulrike Goering, Associate Professor at the Institute for Risk Assessment Science, University of Utrecht, Netherlands, and co-author of the 2013 meta-analysis.Still, some past studies have measured NO2 Concentrations have been measured in a variety of indoor environments, and it has been shown that asthmatics exhibit more severe symptoms when exposed to higher levels of the gas. Observational studies cannot prove that cooking with gas causes asthma, but Goering is Other risk factors such as parental asthma and passive smoking “increase our confidence” that it is.
In addition to acute effects such as asthma symptoms, long-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide is also associated with chronic lung disease and increased mortality in general.
Are the effects seen in both children and adults?
Most of the relevant studies have focused on children, but there are also some studies on adults.Some of these studies found a strong association between gas stove use and respiratory symptoms in women , suggesting that you may be exposed to more nitrogen dioxide during cooking.
If I already have a gas stove, what steps can I take to mitigate the risks?
If you can afford it, you can replace your gas stove with an electric one. The Controlled Inflation Act provides rebates of up to $840 on new appliance purchases, including stoves and stovetops. (Eligibility varies by state and income level.)
But even if you can’t afford to buy a new stove or rent an apartment and can’t change appliances, there are still things you can do to reduce your exposure risk, experts say.
If your stove has an overhead vent, you should use it every time you cook. Ideally, it should be vented to the outside. Eric Lebel, senior scientist at his PSE Healthy Energy, a non-profit research and policy organization in Auckland, said: California. [nitrogen oxide] By-product, in the kitchen. “
Unfortunately, many people do not use vents. Keffert says the filters work best when they’re running at maximum volume, and the filters should be replaced about every three months. And some overhead vents just recirculate the air into the room. If you don’t have a “ducted hood” that vents to the outside, you can open windows and turn on fans to increase ventilation, he says. Portable air purifiers may also help, Keffert says, but they won’t eliminate NO completely.2.
Using an electric kettle or pressure cooker will save you time on the stove. You can also buy an electric stove. Some are available for around $100 or less.
Do gas stoves emit emissions that are bad for the climate?
yes. Burning natural gas produces carbon dioxide, the most common greenhouse gas. Unburned natural gas also contains methane, another potential culprit. His 2022 study by Lebel and his colleagues found that gas stoves leak this unburned methane, which does not directly harm human health, but accumulates in the atmosphere, where it traps heat and contributes to climate change. found to contribute to variability. Lebel and his team found that methane emissions from gas stoves in US homes can impact the climate as much as half a million cars.
The problem isn’t just the stove itself. “We’ve known for years that there was a methane leak. [natural gas] Especially in East Coast cities where the infrastructure is quite old, the distribution system is important,” says Lebel. “And further upstream than that, there are leaks from transmission and production.” All these leaks add up to contribute to the climate impact of his chain of natural gas supply, he adds.
What about other gas appliances?
Gas water heaters, furnaces and dryers also produce emissions, and methane can also leak, Rebel says. However, these devices still cause pollution.
Should gas stoves be regulated? If so, how?
Existing gas stoves are unlikely to be completely banned, so if you have one and want to keep it, you can. They may try to set requirements such as selling with a fume hood that does not leak, or fitting pipes better to prevent leaks. Also, several cities, including New York and some cities in California, have already passed laws requiring the phasing out of gas stoves and other gas appliances in certain types of new construction. increase.
But I like gas stoves. Would you like to bake better?
This is a common reaction of those who like to cook on gas. However, in some cases, this view may be influenced by paid promotions from the gas industry. A gas stove heats up faster than a traditional electric stove. But induction cookers, a type of appliance that induces an electromagnetic field to heat food, are also very fast and energy efficient.
If you love your gas stove, you don’t necessarily have to get rid of it. However, we recommend that you take some precautions to reduce the risk to yourself and your family.
