In the News

Gas stoves, particularly those that are not well ventilated — or for which homeowners do not consistently use ventilation — emit air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter into the home at levels the Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization have said are unsafe and that are linked to respiratory illness, including asthma, cardiovascular problems, cancer and other health conditions. That’s according to reports by groups such as the Institute for Policy Integrity and the American Chemical Society. 

The CPSC, already walking back some of Trumka’s initial statements, is likely to settle on a compromise approach. A report from New York University Policy Integrity this spring detailed some of those options, including requiring that stoves be sold with hoods, establishing performance standards for those hoods, or equipping gas stoves with sensors that alert the user of pollution concentrations.

“No one’s going to walk into their kitchen tomorrow morning and find a hole where the gas range used to be,” the NYU report co-author, Jack Lienke, said. “The bottom line is that Congress created the CPSC to ensure that consumer products — including home appliances — are reasonably safe. A growing body of evidence indicates that gas stoves aren’t. If the Commission ignored this reality, it wouldn’t be doing its job.”

Gas burning stoves are getting a second look not just from groups concerned about their contribution to global warming but from US regulators, who are raising concerns about health hazards as well. Natural gas stoves emit air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter at levels the US Environmental Protection Agency 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 including the Institute for Policy Integrity and the American Chemical Society.

A federal agency is reportedly considering a ban on gas stoves on the heels of rising concern about harmful indoor air pollutants emitted by the appliances. Gas stoves, used in more than  40 million U.S. homes, emit air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter at levels the Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization said are unsafe and linked to respiratory disease, heart issues, cancer and other medical problems, according to reports by groups such as the Institute for Policy Integrity and the American Chemical Society.

Political momentum against gas stoves — a fixture in more than a third of homes in the U.S. — is mounting as more information comes to light about their impact on indoor air quality and respiratory health. Stoves and ovens can emit carcinogenic chemicals such as benzene at levels high enough to exceed public health standards, according to a study published in the journal of Environmental Science & Technology in October. Children of color living in low-income households are particularly at risk, according to the Institute for Policy Integrity.     

Hace un par de días una nueva investigación de grupos como el Institute for Policy Integrity y la American Chemical Society refirió que las estufas de gas natural pueden causar problemas respiratorios y de salud porque emiten contaminantes de aire como dióxido de nitrógeno, monóxido de carbono y partículas finas a niveles que la EPA y la Organización Mundial de la Salud han dicho que son inseguros y están relacionados con enfermedades como cardiovasculares, cáncer, así como otras condiciones de salud. Razón por la que es muy probable que millones de estadounidenses dejen de lado sus estufas por tratarse de “un peligro oculto”, dijo el comisionado de la CPSC, Richard Trumka Jr. a Bloomberg. Según New York Post, la administración Biden está considerando dicha prohibición.

It’s getting hot in here. ​A Biden-appointed commissioner at the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission tried to turn down the temperature after a report that the agency was considering a national ban on gas stoves because they emit harmful pollutants. “Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned,” he told the news outlet.​ According to Bloomberg, recent studies by the American Chemical Society and New York University Law School’s Institute for Policy Integrity ​​found gas stoves emit pollutants like nitrogen dioxide, ca​rbon monoxide and fine matter at levels considered unsafe by the Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization.

The U.S. as a whole could be edging nearer to a ban on gas stoves, if the interest of a federal consumer safety agency is any indication. Gas stoves, particularly those that are not well ventilated — or for which homeowners do not consistently use ventilation — emit air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter into the home at levels the Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization have said are unsafe and that are linked to respiratory illness, including asthma, cardiovascular problems, cancer and other health conditions. That’s according to reports by groups such as the Institute for Policy Integrity and the American Chemical Society. 

The Biden administration is considering a nationwide ban on gas stoves — citing the harmful pollutants released by the appliances, according to a report. Reports by groups including the American Chemical Society and New York University Law School’s Institute for Policy Integrity found gas stoves — which are used in about 40% of US homes while the remainder use various forms of electric cookers — emit pollutants like nitrogen dioxide, ca​rbon monoxide and fine matter at levels deemed unsafe by the Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization.

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. 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.