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Gas stoves increase nitrogen dioxide exposure above WHO standards – study (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 6 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

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Science Advances report also finds people of color and low-income residents in US disproportionately affected

Using a gas stove increases nitrogen dioxide exposure to levels that exceed public health recommendations, a new study shows. The report, published Friday in Science Advances, found that people of color and low-income residents in the US were disproportionately affected.

Indoor gas and propane appliances raise average concentrations of the harmful pollutant, also known as NO2, to 75% of the World Health Organization’s standard for indoor and outdoor exposure.

That means even if a person avoids exposure to nitrogen dioxide from traffic exhaust, power plants, or other sources, by cooking with a gas stove they will have already breathed in three-quarters of what is considered a safe limit.

“When you’re using a gas stove, you are burning fossil fuel directly in the home,” said Yannai Kashtan, lead author of the study and a PhD candidate at Stanford University. “Ventilation does help but it’s an imperfect solution and ultimately the best way is to reduce pollution at the source.”

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[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 44 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

I want to say now since we just got one that modern glass-top electric stoves are pretty great. They heat up quickly and they're very easy to clean. So the latter part is already a huge advantage over gas stoves.

We didn't even get a fancy one or anything. A basic model.

[-] Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social 4 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

They heat up quickly and they’re very easy to clean.

I keep seeing people say this as a benefit of glass-top electrics, but this has never been the case with any one of those I've used. A boil-over invariably leaves a grimy black ring that can't be scrubbed off even with hours of scrubbing. So they end up looking grimy.

Meanwhile, my sealed gas burners are easy to get clean. I just sweep up the crumbs and then dump some boiling water and a couple drops of dish soap and wipe it up.

[-] OhmsLawn@lemmy.world 14 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

I just spent almost two weeks on vacation in an apartment with an induction stove. I've had gas my whole life. I was impressed. It heated the pans faster and more evenly, the temperature was more tuneable and it was easy to clean.

While standard resistive stoves do get those rings, the inductive one almost certainly wouldn't, because the glass only gets heated by the pan, rather than the other way around.

The only difficulty was the Samsung UX. It was a bit of a chore to get the pan centered on the coil, and there was insufficient feedback when you got it right or wrong and if it wasn't in the right place it just wouldn't work. I got used to it, but I'd have liked some better markings, and an LED ring that would show when it was on. It also didn't automatically heat the pan quickly on startup. You had to set it to 9, then back off, otherwise it would heat the pan on a duty cycle.

If I were to upgrade my kitchen, I'd absolutely go with induction. However, even beyond my usual research, I'd make damn sure I got the best option on this. I love cooking too much to screw it up.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 4 points 6 months ago

We were going to go with induction, but it was just too expensive.

[-] Thassodar@lemm.ee 3 points 6 months ago

My main beef is that I have pretty thorough knowledge of appliance warranties and induction stoves are near impossible to repair. I think it's partially because the techs don't know how they actually work, so getting an accurate diagnosis was rough. Most of the time they had to be replaced outright.

If I were to get one I'd probably get a countertop one with a single burner so that if it fails I don't have to replace the whole induction range, I can just replace that single point of failure.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 4 points 6 months ago

You also need specific cookware and we'd have to replace a lot of ours.

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[-] catloaf@lemm.ee 4 points 6 months ago

What were you using to clean? I've been able to get those rings off with the regular glass cooktop cleaner and a little elbow grease. You could probably use something a little more abrasive but still glass-safe if you wanted.

My main issue was it's harder to get greases off completely instead of leaving a slight streaky film, but that's mostly just an aesthetic concern.

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[-] cymbal_king@lemmy.world 34 points 6 months ago

Love my new induction stove! Our old gas stove was leaking and could have blown up the house. We've noticed a lot less waste heat too, metal pan handles can be grabbed without a hot pad, the kitchen doesn't heat up as much from cooking. And it heats up blazingly fast.

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[-] JoshuaFalken@lemmy.world 20 points 6 months ago

Given the EPAs policy on natural gas leaks was to ask the gas companies if they've noticed anything, I'd say we've got some distance to go on stopping the sale of natural gas stoves.

Climate Town has a good video on this subject - and others - that might be a good watch.

[-] derf82@lemmy.world 8 points 6 months ago

The biggest problem with leaving gas stoves is all the older homes that simply are not equipped for them. Many homes with gas not only lack 240v 30a outlets in their kitchens, they may have only 100 or even 60 amp service and may not be able to even add such a circuit. Upgrading to electric could easily cost homeowners 5 figures.

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[-] Joelk111@lemmy.world 5 points 6 months ago

Also want to shout out Technology Connections' video.

[-] RecursiveParadox@lemmy.world 20 points 6 months ago

Folks this is a garbage study. N=18, and then extrapolating the dangers based on aggregated stats of disease states?

[-] OhmsLawn@lemmy.world 13 points 6 months ago

Yeah. I still want an induction stove, but this doesn't look good.

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[-] catloaf@lemm.ee 9 points 6 months ago

NO2 exposure hazards are already known, see the references in this study. This is only looking at NO2 production in homes, so I don't think 18 is too small a sample size. It's not like they're trying to determine whether burning natural gas produces NO2, that's a given. They're looking at how much, how factors like hoods and airflow affect it, and how it goes throughout the house, not just in the kitchen.

[-] Telodzrum@lemmy.world 4 points 6 months ago

TBH the sample is less concerning than the experimental design, and by a lot.

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[-] tiefling@lemmy.blahaj.zone 16 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

In NYC, this is actually a major concern since most kitchens don't even have ventilation. Of my four apartments here, only one has had any form of ventilation in the kitchen.

[-] Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 6 months ago

I'm surprised that's even legal.

[-] tiefling@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

Are you really? NY's housing market is an absolute scam. Landlords are allowed to neglect their buildings until it gets so bad that the punishment for neglect is Riker's since any fines get taken out on their tenants. Something like 80% of residential buildings are owned by corporations.

[-] Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 6 months ago

True I forgot how broken the legal system is in NY.

[-] lud@lemm.ee 12 points 6 months ago

I'm surprised gas anything is still common in some countries. Here, gas is pretty rare nowadays and only some apartments in the biggest cities even have any gas lines.

[-] Cqrd@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 6 months ago

My new build house (built and bought last year) has a gas stove, furnace, dryer, and water heater. I'm in the US 🫠

[-] Dorkyd68@lemmy.world 8 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

I get it. I do. But electric stoves are just meh. Gas burns quicker and more evenly. But if it comes down to it and I need to switch I will no problem. I just wish there was a solution to the cooking with gas issue as it cooks best imo

[-] AProfessional@lemmy.world 16 points 6 months ago

Induction is the fastest and most even.

[-] derf82@lemmy.world 7 points 6 months ago

They are also more expensive.

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[-] ShepherdPie@midwest.social 6 points 6 months ago

We don't have a gas stove but we do have a gas fireplace and water heater that have saved us a couple times now in winter when we've had prolonged power outages due to severe ice storms snapping half the trees in the area and taking all the power lines with them. This allowed us to have heat and hot water and if we had a gas stove, cooking as well.

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[-] DoucheBagMcSwag@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 6 months ago

Chud cocks shotgun

"Gonna take mah stove outta my cold dead hands."

[-] Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 6 months ago

I feel like this is considered common sense. Burning anything indoors increases exposure to bad chemicals. Well ventilated areas are required and we don't have good regulation on that. Improve air quality with safe daily consumption and enforce it. Invest in public transportation, what is a safe level to reduce our exhaust output. People and companies then hold them responsible. : Common sense stuff

[-] kumatomic@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 6 months ago

Wait until you find out about wood burning stoves and firepits. What they do to air quality inside your home even when you don't have either is scary

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this post was submitted on 04 May 2024

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