Lung-irritating pollution created by cooking with gas stoves may be contributing to tens of thousands of premature deaths and cases of childhood asthma in the United States, according to a new study published in the journal Science Advances.
For decades, scientists have known that the flames of a gas stove produce nitrogen dioxide, a pungent gas that can inflame a person's lungs when inhaled. But for the first time, a team of researchers from Stanford University and the Oakland-based PSE Healthy Energy research institute have published a nationwide estimate of the long-term health consequences associated with cooking with gas stoves. natural and propane.
The researchers concluded that exposure to nitrogen dioxide emissions alone may contribute to nearly 19,000 premature deaths in the United States each year. It has also caused up to 200,000 current cases of pediatric asthma compared to cooking with electric stoves, which do not produce nitrogen dioxide.
Aggressive and impactful reporting on climate change, the environment, health and science.
Stanford researcher Yannai Kashtan noted that higher levels of pollution were correlated with the amount of gas being flared. But pollution also built up to higher levels inside smaller homes.
“If you live in a smaller home, you're exposed to more pollution, and that can lead to racial and income disparities in exposure,” Kashtan said. “In general, people who live in neighborhoods with higher levels of outdoor pollution also tend to have higher indoor pollution. So this environmental injustice also extends to the interior.”
The American Gas Assn., a trade organization that represents more than 200 local energy companies nationwide, dismissed the findings as “misleading and baseless.”
“Despite the impressive names in this study, the data presented here clearly do not support any link between gas stoves and childhood asthma or adult mortality,” said the association's president and CEO, Karen Harbert, in a statement earlier this month.
The study is the latest to examine the serious health effects associated with breathing gas stove fumes, which release planet-warming carbon emissions and a variety of air pollutants. In recent years, the popular appliance has become a hot-button political issue as policymakers and regulators have weighed environmental impacts against consumer choice.
Many large California cities, including Los Angeles, have moved toward phasing out gas stoves in newly constructed residences. Earlier this month, the California Assembly introduced a bill to the Senate that would require gas stoves to include warning labels detailing the contamination and health effects that can arise from cooking with gas.
Gas stoves emit a variety of pollutants, including the asphyxiating carbon monoxide, formaldehyde and benzene, which cause cancer. The flame also creates nitrogen dioxide, a precursor to smog and a pollutant that can cause difficulty breathing.
Environmental groups say consumers should be notified about these contaminants and the potential harm they can cause.
“Gas stoves create pollution in our homes, increasing the risk of childhood asthma and other respiratory problems for our families,” said Jenn Engstrom, state director of the California Public Interest Research Group. “However, this risk has been largely hidden from the public. Consumers deserve the truth when it comes to the dangers of cooking with gas. “Warning labels will give consumers what they need to make informed decisions when purchasing appliances for their homes.”
Kashtan and other researchers had previously found that cooking with gas stoves posed a cancer risk similar to that of inhaling second-hand smoke. They also found that some gas stoves leaked contaminants even when the burners were turned off.
The effects are especially devastating for children, whose smaller, still-developing lungs need to breathe more than adults, Kashtan said. Older adults, especially those with cardiovascular or respiratory diseases, are also more vulnerable to contamination from gas stoves.
To alleviate indoor air pollution, experts recommend using ventilation hoods and opening windows while cooking.
Starting in 2008, California required new and remodeled homes to have ventilation that could prevent pollution from building up inside. But during his research, which measured emissions in more than 100 homes across the country, Yannai said they found that many kitchens did not have ventilation hoods.
Although the health effects of breathing these pollutants are clear, researchers still question the extent to which these conditions could be reversible. As communities take steps to mitigate their exposure or transition, we will soon be able to see the results.
“It's never too late to stop breathing pollution,” he said.
