Some lawmakers are pressuring regulars to outlaw gas stoves after reports of health damage to children.
Last month, a study published in The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health revealed a correlation between using indoor gas stoves and an increased risk of childhood asthma; the appliances were found to be responsible for 12.7% of all cases.
And this week the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that gas stoves emit dangerous levels of nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide, surpassing accepted safety standards determined by the EPA as well as the World Health Organization.
Gas stoves are thought by many to be superior to electric or induction stoves. A top-down ban doesn’t consider homes without children or options for range hoods or air filters that could limit exposure to the toxins.
Gas hook-ups for heating or stoves are already banned under certain conditions in New York City and in some cities in California. There is hope by some that this will be expanded to a complete ban.
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Rep Don Beyer of Virginia, and Gov Kathy Hochul of New York, all Democrats, believe regulators should act to ban gas stoves due to the high levels of indoor air pollutants emitted from them.
The chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission says they don’t currently have any plans for a ban.
