The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is considering banning gas stoves, meaning 35% of households might have to go shopping for a new appliance.
In an interview with Bloomberg, commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. said using a gas stove is a “hidden hazard” because it’s a source of indoor pollution that can cause childhood asthma.
“Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned,” Trumka said. The agency voted in October to seek public comment on the hazards of the appliances.
CNN reported on a December study that linked using gas stoves with an increased risk of asthma in kids. The study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, attributes nearly 13% of U.S. childhood asthma to gas stoves.
“Short-term exposure to (nitrogen dioxide) is linked to worsening asthma in children, and long-term exposure has been determined to likely cause the development of asthma,” a group of lawmakers wrote in a letter to chairman Alexander Hoehn-Saric. They said it also can worsen cardiovascular diseases.
The agency told CNN any action would “involve a lengthy process.”
“Agency staff plans to start gathering data and perspectives from the public on potential hazards associated with gas stoves, and proposed solutions to those hazards later this year,” the commission said in a statement. “Commission staff also continues to work with voluntary standards organizations to examine gas stove emissions and address potential hazards.”
The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers told CNN Business the solution is improved ventilation.
“A ban on gas cooking appliances would remove an affordable and preferred technology used in more than 40% of home across the country,” industry spokeswoman Jill Notini said. “A ban of gas cooking would fail to address the overall concern of indoor air quality while cooking, because all forms of cooking, regardless of heat source, generate air pollutants, especially at high temperatures.”
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