In the summer of 2022 we published highlights of a study that demonstrated gas stoves leak toxic chemicals into homes, including benzene, a known carcinogen, which was discovered in 95% of the natural gas tested. Now, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is considering banning gas stoves in the U.S. due to concerns about indoor pollution linked to the rise in childhood asthma and worsening respiratory conditions. The agency cited a recent study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health that found that indoor gas stove usage is associated with an increased risk of current asthma among children. The study found that almost 13% of current childhood asthma in the US is attributable to gas stove use. Other studies have found gas stoves emit significant levels of nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter – which without proper ventilation can raise the levels of indoor concentration levels to unsafe levels as deemed by the EPA.
Thirty-five percent of households in the United States use a gas stove*, and the number approaches 70% in some states like California and New Jersey. Some cities across the U.S. have banned natural gas hookups in all new building construction to reduce greenhouse emissions.
The agency plans to open public comment on a gas stove ban and gas stove hazards and proposed solutions.
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*Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act includes a rebate of up to $840 for an electric stove or other electric appliances, and up to an $500 to help cover the costs of converting to electric from gas.
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Related:
On March 15, 2023 regulators in the San Francisco Bay Area of California approved a de facto ban on new home furnaces and water heaters that burn natural gas — but not gas-fired stoves. The ban goes into effect in 2027.
The California Air Resources Board said last year it will require that all new space and water heaters have zero emissions by 2030.
Eliminating natural gas appliances would mean transitioning to electric equipment such as heat pumps.
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