Natural gas stoves, which the majority of people continue to use in our country and around the world, have come to the fore in recent months with successive studies. These studies pointed out that natural gas stoves seriously endanger human health, causing deep-rooted ailments, especially in young ages.
While the center of research was generally the USA, news of serious measures against this issue started to come from the country. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Agency has begun pushing to ban natural gas stoves across the country.
The US could completely ban natural gas stoves:
Corporation Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. told Bloomberg that the agency plans to take action against gas stoves. In fact, although this plan has been known for months, the institution had first started to determine the damage to the quarries.
So, how much do natural gas stoves endanger human health?
The most up-to-date research on the dangers of natural gas stoves to human health was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in December 2022.
The research revealed that natural gas stoves used in 35% of homes across the US cause asthma in children. The research that faced the use of natural gas stoves and cases of asthma included the following surprising result:
“We found that 12.7% of current childhood asthma in the US can be attributed to gas stove use.”
- This rate corresponds to an extreme number of 647,700 when compared to the current number of childhood asthma cases (5.1 million) by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Considering that this number is only in the USA, its worldwide impact is thought to be in the millions.
How do natural gas stoves harm human health?
According to the researches, the harm of natural gas stoves to human health is caused by nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and formaldehyde gases. These gases, which come out when the stoves are burning, cause respiratory diseases as they are inhaled.
In fact, some US cities have already banned gas stoves:
The use of natural gas stoves has been banned in some US cities, especially in Los Angeles, New York and Seattle, with the new research making a strong impression on the public.
What should be done to avoid health problems in homes with natural gas stoves?
The most important thing to do in order to minimize the harm of natural gas stove to human health is to ensure less exposure to the resulting gas. For this, especially the area where the stove is located must be ventilated.
Other studies with similar results:
In addition to the current research of the International Journal of Environmental Studies and Public Health, the harm of natural gas stoves to health has been brought to the agenda with these researches before:
- Methane and NOx Emissions from Natural Gas Stoves, Furnaces and Furnaces in Residences, 2022.
- RMI report: Gas Furnaces: Health and Air Quality Impacts and Solutions, 2020
- Meta-analysis of the effects of indoor nitrogen dioxide and gas cooking on asthma and wheezing in children, 2013
While the number of studies continues to increase, a study that gives the opposite result has not been shared yet. On the other hand, some natural gas providers in the USA shared advertisements highlighting the advantages of natural gas furnaces as the research came to the fore:
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