Why Some Health Experts Want To Ban Your Gas Stove
The safety of an appliance used by millions of Americans every day is currently up for discussion in Washington, as per The Washington Post. Earlier this week, Richard Trumka Jr., a commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), publicly announced that a ban on gas stoves had recently been discussed in light of health risks associated with potentially dangerous chemicals released from the fumes.
Such chemicals include carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and formaldehyde (via The Washington Post). Additionally, other chemicals, such as methane, can pose a risk to human health even when a gas stove is not on. Rather, a 2022 study published in Environmental Science and Technology showed that 76% of gas stove methane emissions were released when the stove was not in use. All of these chemicals have been found in connection with respiratory issues. So much so, that a 2013 meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Epidemiology found that children who lived in homes with gas stoves were over 30% more susceptible to current and lifetime asthma.
The administration is not in support of a gas stove ban
Additionally, the Moffitt Cancer Center notes that some research has shown benzene — another chemical pollutant given off by gas stoves — to be linked with the development of cancer over time. The Washington Post reports that while opting for an electric or induction stove over a gas stove is one possible solution, such appliances are often more expensive.
In response to the mounting scientific evidence of potential health risks associated with gas stoves, New York and Los Angeles are among some of the cities already actively working towards implementing a ban on gas stoves in certain residences, reports The Washington Post. On Wednesday, however, the Biden administration clarified that there is currently no federal regulatory ban of gas stoves in place. "The President does not support banning gas stoves — and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is independent, is not banning gas stoves," a government spokesperson told CNN. Rather, the CPSC reports that they are presently looking deeper into the research surrounding gas stove pollutants and exploring new methods for addressing related health concerns.