Gas stoves increase indoor air pollution and would be harmful to health, but a few tips can minimize their negative effects.
- At least 10% of school children suffer from asthma in France, according to Health Insurance.
- It is the most common chronic disease in children in France and the leading cause of school absenteeism.
12.7% of childhood asthma cases in the United States could be attributed to the use of a gas stove, according to a study published in the journal International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. It is more precisely a meta-analysis, which brings together several studies on this subject.
Gas stoves emit dangerous pollutants
Gas stoves increase indoor air pollution because they emit different types of pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Nitrogen oxides (NOx) basically consist of two molecules, nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide. This last “is an irritating gas, which penetrates the finest branches of the respiratory tract, can we read on the website of the Environment and Energy Management Agency (Ademe). It can cause breathing difficulties or bronchial hyperreactivity in sensitive people and promote increased sensitivity of the bronchi to infections in children. NO2 is 40 times more toxic than carbon monoxide (CO) and four times more toxic than NO.”
“The European Environment Agency estimates that 94% of the European urban population is exposed to ambient concentrations of NO2 above the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines for 2021, and that 4% are exposed to concentrations above European Union (EU) standards in the Ambient Air Quality Directive of 2008”can we read in a report titled “Exposing the Hidden Health Effects of Gas Cooking”.
In the meta-analysis, the researchers also observed that, in children with asthma, gas stoves and high levels of nitrogen dioxide in the environment were associated with increased shortness of breath, tightness chest pain and wheezing. In other words, it increased their symptoms. In addition, among children who did not have asthma, the use of gas stoves increased their risk of developing this disease.
Ventilate the kitchen to reduce indoor air pollution
To protect against these risks, the ideal is therefore to replace the gas cooker with an electric one because, even when switched off, they continue to pollute… Indeed, according to a study published in 2022, gas stoves also emit a significant amount of pollutants when turned off. But if you can’t change your cooker right away, how can you reduce air pollution in your home?
First of all, it is essential to ventilate your kitchen regularly to reduce the amount of pollutants in the indoor air. On the other hand, if you have an extractor hood, use it as soon as you cook. Another tip: if you have the space and the means, you can also install an air purifier in the kitchen. Finally, to protect children, it is best to ask them to leave the kitchen when adults are preparing food.
In the future, when your gas cooker no longer works, replace it with an electric one, which is more ecological and healthier.
