Topic: U.S. Safety Agency Eyes Ban on Gas Stoves As Health Concerns Mount (Read 162 times)

Certainly a good idea. Because of the byproduct of burning methane gas, gas stoves are hazardous to human health. It is extremely hazardous to the respiratory system and has the potential to cause asthma. Electric stoves are preferable because gas stoves emit nitrogen dioxide, which causes difficulty breathing when inhaled.

I put magnets on the fuel line of my furnace, water heater, grills and stove. You can buy some magnets for less than five dollars at Lowes or Home Depot. They come in pairs and they are rectangular. The key is, the way the north and south poles are oriented. Put them together slowly and rotate them 360 degrees. If they stay together then they should work.

Also saves on my fuel bill and makes the food taste much better with a lower taste of propane. No more city beef... no more city chicken... enjoy!

Now, this is concerning 😟
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I have never seen any smoke and the gas flame is always in blue color which makes me believe it's working properly.

the gas stoves for now is more efficient especially in the developing country In my country the government still subsidized the gas because the price is crazy and we can afford electrical stove

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Just the newest priority of the Biden administration's, creating culture wars centralized around electric stoves. They aren't even that dangerous.

The blue gas flame is much cleaner than the smoke created by the food in the pans.

We all know about the health situation in the world it's clear for us to understand how these fossil energies can affect your health conditions. Still, I think that nothing that can be done in one single step banning gas stoves or other things can be a solution but first we need to think about alternatives. For example, imagine if we stop using the old systems and gas from fossil energy resources then we will need a lot more electric power, and supplying these huge amounts won't be easy if you want to supply it in a clean way.

Well, if for any reason, there hazardous effects of using cooking gas in our homes then I think there should be a total stop to using gas in cooking.   

We can make do with electric cookers, because they have little or no side effect.

Most people don’t know this but if you are using a gas stove you need to have the vent turned on right above the stove. It needs to properly vent the gases. Most people don’t do this due to the Noise, due to them not knowing you should or the fan vent broke.

If they were used properly then it wouldn’t be an issue. It’s much quicker than an electric stove and also more efficient and cheaper to run. However I can see the dangers outweighing the benefits if not used correctly.

Indeed, I remember natural gas was called "green" not so long ago... 

The blue gas flame is much cleaner than the smoke created by the food in the pans.

A federal agency says a ban on gas stoves is on the table amid rising concern about harmful indoor air pollutants emitted by the appliances.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission plans to take action to address the pollution, which can cause health and respiratory problems.

“This is a hidden hazard,” Richard Trumka Jr., an agency commissioner, said in an interview. “Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.”

Natural gas stoves, which are used in about 40% of homes in the US, emit air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter at levels the EPA and World Health Organization have said are unsafe and linked to respiratory illness, cardiovascular problems, cancer, and other health conditions, according to reports by groups such as the Institute for Policy Integrity and the American Chemical Society. Consumer Reports, in October, urged consumers planning to buy a new range to consider going electric after tests conducted by the group found high levels of nitrogen oxide gases from gas stoves.

New peer-reviewed research published last month in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that more than 12% of current childhood asthma cases in the US can be attributed to gas stove use.

“There is about 50 years of health studies showing that gas stoves are bad for our health, and the strongest evidence is on children and children’s asthma,” said Brady Seals, a manager in the carbon-free buildings program at the nonprofit clean energy group RMI and a co-author of the study. “By having a gas connection, we are polluting the insides of our homes.”

The Bethesda, Maryland-based Consumer Product Safety Commission, which has a staff of roughly 500, plans to open public comment on hazards posed by gas stoves later this winter. Besides barring the manufacture or import of gas stoves, options include setting standards on emissions from the appliances, Trumka said.

Lawmakers have weighed in, asking the commission to consider requiring warning labels, range hoods and performance standards. In a letter to the agency in December, lawmakers including Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey and Representative Don Beyer of Virginia, both Democrats, urged action and called gas-stove emissions a “cumulative burden” on Black, Latino and low-income households that disproportionately experience air pollution.

Parallel efforts by state and local policymakers are targeting the use of natural gas in buildings more broadly, in a push to reduce climate-warming emissions (such as from methane) that exacerbate climate change. Nearly 100 cities and counties have adopted policies that require or encourage a move away from fossil fuel powered buildings. The New York City Council voted in 2021 to ban natural gas hookups in new buildings smaller than seven stories by the end of this year. The California Air Resources Board unanimously voted in September to ban the sale of natural gas-fired furnaces and water heaters by 2030.

Consumers who want to switch from gas to electric ranges could get some help from the massive climate spending bill signed into law in August. The Inflation Reduction Act includes rebates of up to $840 for the purchase of new electric ranges as part of some $4.5 billion in funding to help low- and moderate-income households electrify their homes.

The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, which represents gas range manufacturers such as Whirlpool Corp., says that cooking produces emissions and harmful byproducts no matter what kind of stove is used.

“Ventilation is really where this discussion should be, rather than banning one particular type of technology,” said Jill Notini, a vice president with the Washington-based trade group. “Banning one type of a cooking appliance is not going to address the concerns about overall indoor air quality. We may need some behavior change, we may need [people] to turn on their hoods when cooking.”

Natural gas distributors, whose business is threatened by the growing push to electrify homes, argue that a ban on natural gas stoves would drive up costs for homeowners and restaurants with little environmental gain. The American Gas Association, which represents utilities such as Dominion Energy Inc. and DTE Energy Co., said in a statement that regulatory and advisory agencies responsible for protecting residential consumer health and safety have presented no documented risks from gas stoves.

“The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and EPA do not present gas ranges as a significant contributor to adverse air quality or health hazard in their technical or public information literature, guidance, or requirements,” said Karen Harbert, the group’s president. “The most practical, realistic way to achieve a sustainable future where energy is clean, as well as safe, reliable and affordable, is to ensure it includes natural gas and the infrastructure that transports it.”

Trumka, who before joining the commission worked for a House committee in a role that included work on toxic heavy metals in baby food and the health hazards of e-cigarettes, said the commission could issue its proposal as soon as this year, though he conceded that would be “on the quick side.”

“There is this misconception that if you want to do fine-dining kind of cooking it has to be done on gas,” Trumka said. “It’s a carefully manicured myth.”


https://time.com/6245607/us-consumer-safety-commission-considers-gas-stove-ban/