Actor Mark Ruffalo has spoken out in favor of banning gas stoves and touting his own premium induction range, but the average American is concerned about the cost of a gas ban.
The controversy exploded this week after a top federal regulator floated the idea of banning gas stoves, which are used in 40 percent of US homes, calling them a “hidden danger” and citing studies linking the appliances to asthma connect children.
The idea drew such a backlash that the regulator, Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr., quickly backed down, saying a ban would only apply to new gas stoves, and the White House announced that President Joe Biden was a do not support ban.
But Ruffalo, known for portraying Bruce Banner in Marvel films, signaled his support for a ban, citing health concerns about gas stoves and touting his induction model as superior “in every way”.
Actor Mark Ruffalo has spoken out in favor of banning gas stoves and tweeted promoting his own premium induction range while “preparing stew for a cold winter’s night”.
A chart shows price ranges for popular models of induction, electric, and gas stoves
“The science has been there for years and it has been shown that fracking gas also releases radiation into homes,” Ruffalo said in a tweet, responding to Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat who opposes a ban.
Ruffalo added: “Tell people the truth about gas burners, that’s all. By the way: Induction cooktops blow away gas! Faster, cheaper, hotter, better in every way.”
Ruffalo’s preferred induction hob uses a magnetic field to heat special cookware without heating the glass in between, like traditional electric stovetops do.
They must be used with compatible pots that contain magnetic iron or steel such as B. the $200 All Clad soup pot that Ruffalo uses when he shared a picture of himself cooking stew.
It’s unclear what brand Ruffalo is, but common types of 30-inch induction cooktops range from $1,160 to $4,415, according to an October analysis by Consumer Reports.
Conventional electric ranges range from $600 to $3,230, while gas models range from $505 to $3,250.
Cost of gas vs. electric stove
gas stove
Cheapest 30-inch model: $505
Installation cost: $250-$300
Annual service charge*: $80 to $100
Federal Discount for Purchase: None
Conventional electric stove
Cheapest 30-inch model: $600
Installation cost: $100-$200
Annual service charge*: $120 to $140
Federal Purchase Discount: Up to $840
*For one hour per day and subject to local electricity tariffs
This means that the cheapest induction models cost more than twice as much as the cheapest gas stoves.
While gas models are slightly cheaper than traditional electric models, they typically cost more to install and roughly make up the difference, according to Consumer Reports.
Typically, gas ranges cost less to run than traditional electric ranges, although this depends on local utility tariffs and the potential savings would typically be a few dollars a month or less.
Induction cookers are more efficient than traditional electric cookers and therefore slightly cheaper to run.
When weighing the cost of a new furnace, there are also potential federal rebates for purchasing electrical appliances included in the recent inflation-mitigating law.
The law provides funds for states to offer loans of up to $840 for new electric stoves and cooktops, including induction models.
Households switching from gas to induction could also be eligible for an additional $500 to offset the cost of the switch, according to Consumer Reports.
A number of Republicans shared this 2020 tweet from First Lady Jill Biden, showing her cooking vegetables over a gas stove
Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted Wednesday that Biden was not after Americans’ gas stoves.
“The President does not support the ban on gas stoves, and the independent Consumer Product Safety Commission does not ban gas stoves,” Jean-Pierre said.
On Monday, Bloomberg reported that such a ban was on the table, citing Biden-appointed Trumka, who called the home appliance a “hidden danger,” with new research linking gas stoves to childhood asthma.
“Every option is on the table. Products that cannot be made safe can be banned,” Trumka said.
That announcement sparked an uproar on the right, with some Republicans referencing a 2020 tweet in which Dr. Jill Biden cooks vegetables over gas.
CPSC is now expected to open a public comment period on gas stove damage later this winter.
It could then decide on a ban or stricter regulation this year.
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.
On average, almost 13 percent of childhood asthma cases can be attributed to toxins produced by gas stoves, according to a study. This is significantly higher in several states for which data was available, including California, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania
This puts emissions from gas cooking at the same asthma risk level as inhaling secondhand smoke.
Asthma affects approximately six million children in the United States each year, and nearly 13 percent of them get it from inhaling the toxins that gas stoves give off 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 showing the danger of a household gas stove, which can also release carcinogenic toxins that put people at risk of serious health effects.