STUDY: Can a gas oven be behind children’s asthma? Should you worry about gas stoves?
NordenBladet – Are gas stoves dangerous? Recent news articles have claimed that gas stoves may be causing harm to our health, specifically 12.7% of child asthma cases.
The peer-reviewed study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, adds fuel to a burgeoning debate over the potential threats that gas stoves pose to the planet and public health.
However, the science behind the claims is not as simple as it sounds. The figure was calculated by taking the increased risk of asthma from exposure to gas stoves and estimating the rate of asthma cases that could be prevented if all gas stoves were replaced with electric ones. This statement figure is not indicative of the actual rate of illness caused by gas stoves.
While gas stoves do increase indoor pollution, the exact contribution of the stove in the causal chain is complicated to assess due to residual confounding, making it challenging to determine causality in observational research. Experimental evidence shows that gas stoves and ovens increase the rate of pollutants in the air, predominantly nitrogen oxides, but good extractor fans can completely ameliorate this increase.
Therefore, while it is true that phasing out gas stoves may help to reduce the risk of childhood asthma, the actual impact of gas cookware is difficult to assess due to the variability in different homes’ airflow and extractor fan use.
Featured image: Unspalsh
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