According to a study published in December 2022, 12.7% of childhood asthma cases in the United States are linked to the use of gas stoves, a main appliance in more than 40 million homes in this country, but which releases harmful compounds even when it is not the case is used.
In that sense, “using a gas stove is like smoking at home,” he told AFP. Talor Grunwaldthe lead author of the report.
The article combines data from 41 previous studies – including one conducted by the same authors in Australia in 2018 – with data on US household characteristics drawn from a census.
According to Gruenwald and his colleagues at the Rocky Mountain Institute, an institution dedicated to studying sustainability issues, the article’s findings “support dozens of previous studies” that had concluded that gas pollution “can cause asthma.” However, other experts point out that there is still no definitive proof of this cause-and-effect relationship.
Emission of harmful gases
Air pollution is a major risk factor for several respiratory diseases, and one of the main pollutants emitted by gas stoves is nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a compound that contributes to both asthma development and severity.
Outdoors, vehicle traffic is usually the main source of NO2; while there are gas ovens inside, he writes in an article in The Conversation Jonathan LevyChair of the Department of Environmental Health at Boston University.
Although cars emit more NO2, driving in open fields breaks down the gas faster. On the other hand, this would not happen in a kitchen room that is poorly ventilated or not equipped with an extractor hood.
However, NO2 is not the only polluting gas: gas stoves emit carbon monoxide, methane and benzene even when they are off, another study in January 2022 showed.
Some experts recommend using induction cooktops (no burners and electricity based) instead of those that run on gas. Photo: Pexels
Alternatives to gas stoves
Noting the many potential harms from gas stoves, scientists, activists and even local governments have increasingly urged households and businesses to replace them with electric or induction (no burner) stoves as they produce far fewer pollutant emissions.