About one in eight cases of childhood asthma in the US is a result of air pollution from gas stoves, new research shows.
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
Toxic substances such as benzene, methane, nitrogen dioxide are produced when a gas stove is used
Brady Seals, manager of the zero-carbon building program at RMI, who led the research said: ‘The PAF [population attributable fraction] The calculation is a common epidemiological tool that can help us show what reduction we would see if the risk factor were removed/reduced to an ideal scenario. In this case, eliminating gas stoves could reduce the rate of childhood asthma by 12.7%.’
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. Due to the more enclosed nature of an indoor space compared to an outdoor space, pollution could be higher in a gas-fired kitchen 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.
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
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.
It looks increasingly likely that gas stoves will be replaced by more energy efficient electric stoves over time. The Environmental Protection Agency has no regulatory jurisdiction over indoor pollution from gas stoves, so another federal official is trying to fill that loophole.
Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. said last month that the agency would begin collecting comments from the public on the issue this spring and may have new regulations on the books by the end of the year.
Commissioner Trumka said: “I think we should keep this possibility of a ban in mind because it’s a powerful tool in our tool belt and a real possibility here.”
Meanwhile, the gas industry is resisting the researchers’ findings. The powerful American Gas Association trade group criticized the team’s conclusion, arguing it was “based on data that is either not validated or does not accurately reflect the risks associated with gas cooking.”
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.