Researchers Warn of Significant Health Risks Tied to Common Appliance: What Families Should Do
In fact, we are delighted to report that during our controlled cooking tests, we found that the median background NO₂ concentration in gas homes increased by nearly 10 times, reaching a level of between 18 parts per billion and 197! Meanwhile, in homes equipped with induction hobs, the concentration barely increased at all.
The findings were published in the journal Energy Research & Social Science and shared by Science Direct.
Why are gas stoves so harmful?
While almost 40% of American households use gas stoves, per Phys.org, these findings are not the first to suggest migrating away from using them.
When it comes to health, limiting exposure to NO2 is particularly important for anybody prone to respiratory illness. Even short-term exposure to the gas can trigger respiratory disease flare ups, some of which can result in hospital stays and even premature mortality, per the EPA.
Long-term exposure, like you’d have in a home with a gas stove, is even worse, having been associated with the onset of asthma as well as premature death.
Gas stoves are just as harmful to the environment as they are to humans. Phys.org reported that residential gas use accounts for 15% of the United States’ gas consumption, releasing alarmingly high methane levels into the atmosphere each year.
“A green energy transition should prioritize electric stoves, which both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the health of vulnerable populations,” Phys.org quoted senior author Darby Jack, Ph.D.
Meanwhile, study co-author Annie Carforo, MUP and climate justice campaigns manager for WE ACT, noted some people are more affected by this issue than others and need support to move away from gas stoves.
“People of color and low-income individuals are more likely to live in smaller, older apartments that have poor ventilation, ineffective or broken range hoods and dated appliances that leak more gas,” Carforo said. “It is crucial for environmental justice that they are not left behind in this transition.”
What’s being done to address this?
In places like New York City, where the gas stove rate is much higher than the national average, governments are looking to quickly move away from them.
In fact, New York passed a law last year that will ban gas-powered heaters, cooking stoves, and water boilers in all new buildings, Phys.org reported. Similarly, in 2022, California adopted a building code requiring new buildings to be “all-electric ready,” with the aim of enabling a gas-free and healthier future for residents.
