Fact: Gas stoves produce dangerous indoor air pollution
More and more information is surfacing about the dangers of cooking with gas stoves and the toxic pollutants that are emitted through the combustion of methane (natural gas).
Asthma One of these pollutants, nitrogen dioxide, has a well documented association with increased risk of asthma and other respiratory problems.
The American Medical Association has stated that “the use of a gas stove increases household air pollution and the risk of childhood asthma and asthma severity”
Studies show that children living in homes with gas stoves have a 42% increased risk of asthma.
Ventilation is not effective Because this pollution is heavier than air - studies show that ventilation systems are not effective at removing nitrogen dioxide from our homes and that concentrations of this pollutant can be measured in bedrooms and other parts of our homes far from our kitchens when gas stoves are in use.
Cancer Recent studies also show that gas stoves leak methane into our homes when not in use. This happens because of the many connections between the high pressure gas system and the gas burner which are subject to leakage regardless of the age or model of stove. Other studies show that this unburnt methane from gas stoves contains dangerous chemicals like benzene which increases risk of cancer. The concentrations of benzene in our homes can reach levels that surpass the benchmarks set by health agencies.
Small Particulates Gas stove combustion also produces nearly twice the amount of small particulates (PM2.5) than comes from cooking with electric stoves. These small particulates are linked to respiratory diseases and increased risk of neurological disorders.
Comparable to cigarette smoke The most recent study on indoor air pollution from gas stoves concludes that the benzene from leaking methane can surpass the levels that would arise from second had tobacco smoke.
If you have a gas stove in your home be sure to use the following precautions:
Use ventilation hoods and open windows when cooking
Use back burners whenever possible to increase ventilation hood effectiveness
Use microwaves, crockpots and toaster ovens instead of the stove as much as possible
Consider a portable induction hot plate to reduce use of gas burners
Replace the gas stove with an electric or electric induction stove as soon as possible