The US Consumer Product Safety Commission backed out with claims it was considering banning all gas stoves in the United States over health concerns.
Richard Trumka Jr., an agency officer, said in a tweet Monday that potential regulations “would only apply to new products.” “CPSC is not coming for anyone’s gas stoves. Regulations apply to new products,” he added.
The pullback came in response to a tweet from Republican lawmaker Rep. Gary Palmer, who expressed outrage that unelected officials could ban a device used by tens of millions of Americans.
The idea of the ban was first floated by Democratic lawmakers Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Dan Beyer, who sent a letter to the CPSC urging them to take action after a study found gas stoves were linked to higher cases of asthma have been linked.
In his backtrack Monday, Trumka added that people who choose to switch to electric stoves would receive an $840 rebate because of President Biden’s inflation-mitigating act.
Richard Trumka Jr., a commissioner for the agency, said potential regulations “would only apply to new products.”
Democrat Rep. Dan Beyer. from Virginia. and Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey sent a letter to the commission last month saying emissions from gas stoves are disproportionately affecting black, Hispanic and low-income communities
The CPSC announced on Monday it would take action to tackle pollution from gas stoves, which emit cancer-causing chemicals in addition to asthma.
Trumpka told Bloomberg gas stoves are a “hidden danger,” adding that “every option is on the table” and “products that cannot be made safe can be banned.”
The agency could also choose to set emission standards for gas stoves.
CPSC is now expected to open a public comment period on gas stove damage later this winter.
She could then decide whether gas stoves will be banned later this year.
– and the Commission has already planned to open a comment period on the dangers of gas stoves before the end of this winter.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is now considering banning all gas stoves
The announcement follows a new study that found that air pollution from gas stoves accounts for about one in eight cases of childhood asthma in the United States.
This puts emissions from gas cooking at the same asthma risk level as inhaling secondhand smoke.
Asthma affects about six million children in the United States each year, and nearly 13 percent of them get it from inhaling the myriad of toxins that gas stoves emit every day.
Findings from the team at the Rocky Mountain Institute in Colorado suggest that the roughly 35 percent of American homes that use gas stoves should curb the spread of toxins like nitrogen dioxide and benzene by switching to an electric induction stove.
Her research is the latest in a growing group highlighting the danger of a domestic gas stove, which can release carcinogenic toxins that put people at risk of serious health effects.
On average, nearly 13 percent of childhood asthma cases can be attributed to the toxins produced by gas stoves. This is significantly higher in several states for which data was available, including California, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania
Brady Seals, manager of the zero-carbon building program at RMI, who led the research said The study found that eliminating gas stoves could reduce the proportion of children diagnosed with asthma by 12.7 percent.
The researchers from Colorado, Australia and New York analyzed the risk to children from gas emissions and the proportion of American households with gas stoves and concluded that stove ownership greatly increased the risk of developing asthma.
The authors used data from the 2019 census to determine what proportion of American children are exposed to asthma-causing toxins produced by gas stoves and borrowed the methodology from a 2018 analysis that found that Cooking on gas stoves accounted for 12.3 per cent of pediatric asthma cases in Australia.
In some states, the proportion of childhood asthma cases associated with gas stoves is even higher than the national average. Illinois had the highest PAF count at more than 21 percent, while New York reached nearly 19 percent.
“In other words, if we theoretically eliminated all gas stoves in New York, we could prevent an estimated 18.8% of childhood asthma,” Ms. Seals said said.
According to a 2013 report, children living in homes with gas stoves have a 42 percent higher risk of developing asthma.
Gas stoves emit toxic pollutants into the air even when they are off. Cooking on a gas stove produces nitrogen dioxide, a known trigger of asthma.
In 2019 alone, it was estimated that almost two million cases of childhood asthma were due to nitrogen dioxide poisoning.
This is the same pollutant associated with major freeways. But due to the more enclosed nature of an indoor space compared to an outdoor space, pollution in a gas-fired kitchen could be higher than on a major highway.
Gas stoves can also give off methane, which can cause breathing difficulties and a rapid heartbeat.
Benzene can also escape from switched off gas stoves. The chemical has been linked to the development of several types of cancer – although experts believe the amount of benzene escaping from stoves is not enough to pose a serious hazard.
Previous studies into the harmful emissions have found that gas stoves emit a cocktail of toxic compounds such as hexane, which are known to cause permanent weakness and nerve damage in the feet, legs and hands of people with long-term exposure.
Researchers have identified the prevalence of about a dozen hazardous chemicals in gas stoves. One of them, Hexan, has been linked to nerve damage. The carcinogenic benzene was found in almost every stove in a recent survey of gas stoves
Since then, lawmakers have asked the Consumer Product Safety Commission to consider requiring warning labels, range hoods and performance standards for gas stoves.
In a letter to the agency last month, Sen. Booker of New Jersey and Rep. Beyer of Virginia called on the commission to take action, calling emissions from gas stoves a “cumulative burden on black, Hispanic and low-income households.” are disproportionately exposed to air pollution.
The Commission is now planning to open a comment period on the dangers of gas stoves before the end of this winter.
Meanwhile, state and local policymakers are targeting the use of natural gas in buildings to reduce their carbon footprint.
Nearly 100 cities and counties have passed policies that require or encourage a shift away from fossil fuel buildings, including in New York City, where the City Council voted to ban natural gas connections in new buildings below seven stories by the end of the year.
The California Air Resources Board also voted unanimously in September to ban the sale of natural gas furnaces and water heaters by 2030.
Gas stove manufacturers argue that they are just as harmful as other cooking methods
However, gas stove manufacturers say they are just as harmful as other cooking methods and should not be banned.
The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, which represents companies like Whirlpool Corp, said in a statement that cooking of any kind creates emissions and harmful by-products.
“This discussion should be about ventilation rather than banning a certain type of technology,” Jill Notini, the group’s vice president, told Bloomberg.
“Baning one type of cooking appliance will not address concerns about overall indoor air quality. We may need a behavior change that we need [people] turn on the extractor hood when cooking.’
Natural gas distributors also argue that a ban on natural gas stoves would drive up costs for homeowners and restaurants with little environmental gain.
The American Gas Association, for example, said regulators have presented no documented evidence linking breathing problems to gas stoves.
“The US Consumer Product Safety Commission and the EPA do not represent gas stoves in their technical or public information literature, guidance or requirements as a significant contributor to poor air quality or hazards,” said Karen Harbert, the President.
“The most practical and realistic way to achieve a sustainable future of clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy is to ensure that natural gas and the infrastructure to transport it are included.”
Meanwhile, Republicans say a ban would be another government overreach, with Mike McKenna, a GOP energy lobbyist, arguing, “If the CPSC really wanted to do something for public health, they would ban cigarettes or cars long before they did.” involved with stoves.
“It’s clearly political,” he said.
All About Asthma
About 25 million Americans have it, including about six million children
It’s a common but incurable condition that affects the small tubes in the lungs.
It can cause them to become inflamed or swollen, narrowing the airways and making it difficult to breathe.
The condition affects people of all ages and often begins in childhood. Symptoms may improve or even go away as children get older, but may return in adulthood.
Symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing, which can worsen during an asthma attack.
Treatment usually involves medications that are inhaled to calm the lungs.
The disease is triggered by allergies, dust, air pollution, exercise and infections such as the common cold or flu.
If you think you or your child may have asthma you should see a doctor as it can develop into more serious complications such as fatigue or lung infections.