How gas stoves pollute indoor air and cause climate change

Gas stoves pollute indoor air and cause climate change. Here’s what you can do to protect your health and reduce the impact of your stove.

Research Shows how emissions from gas stoves – one of the most common appliances in our kitchens – can endanger the air you breathe in your home and make climate change worse.

Here’s what you can do to reduce emissions from a gas stove if you have one, and what you need to know the next time you’re in the market for a new stove.

First, I want to say that I have a gas stove (that’s my burner, pictured above) and, until relatively recently, I cooked almost everything either on the stove or in the oven. But over the past few years, I learned four important things about natural gas that made me reconsider my stove.

The first is how natural gas is produced. Most of it comes from fracking, a polluting process that poisons our air and water and is especially dangerous for children. As Moms Clean Air Force has extensively reported, fracking chemicals may harm children’s brains, Put pregnant mothers and babies at risk And expose children For cancer causing toxins. If I could use the stove less, I would.

The second is that despite its dubious reputation as a “clean” fuel, natural gas contributes significantly to climate change. In fact, gas-fired appliances typically “produce a significant amount of both greenhouse gas pollution and other types of air pollution,” according to the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI). Dennis Grabb tells Fast Company,

methane The primary component of natural gas is a particularly powerful greenhouse gas because it traps far more heat than carbon dioxide.

Plus, natural gas is far more polluting than cleaner fuels like solar and wind.

“The production and use of natural gas in generating electricity, making fertilizer, heating our homes and cooking our food now sends more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than coal,” environmental health news reports

Third, I learned that gas stoves can emit excessive nitrogen dioxide (NO2), levels of which often exceed both indoor guidelines and outdoor standards.

Health effects of NO2 in children, Nonprofit RMI says These may include decreased IQ and learning, increased susceptibility to lung infections, increased risk of childhood asthma, cough, heart strain and increased susceptibility to allergies.

And fourth, no federal agencies monitor pollutants from gas stoves. Am I breathing too much? There is no way to know.

How to Reduce Pollutants from Your Gas Stove – Use These Electric Stoves Instead

I’ve learned enough to decide that, when the time comes to replace my stove, I’ll choose an all-electric or induction model. Until then, here’s what I do that may help you too:

• Exhaust fan—I always turn on the exhaust fan above my limit. The fan’s air is directed outside so it absorbs and removes pollutants.
• Open the Windows – If the weather permits, I’ll open a few windows while I’m cooking to bring fresh air into my kitchen and let out polluted air.
• Electric slow cooker-I have started using an electric slow cooker (such as slow cooker or one instapot or a rice cooker) to make soups, stews, sauces, rice, pasta, yogurt, and more. Some people even cook and roast them in their slow cooker. In addition to improving the air quality inside my home, I’ve found that slow cookers create much less mess than cooking on my stovetop.
• electric toaster oven-In addition to the slow cooker, I have a toaster oven that’s big enough to make casseroles, a 10-inch pie, a rimmed tray on which I can roast chicken, fish, and vegetables, and a cookie sheet that holds 12 Big enough to make cookies. At the same time.
• electric kettle—I make tea and coffee several times a day, so switching to an electric kettle was no easy task.

When I decide to replace my stove, I’m going to research both electric and induction options.

I’m going to take my cues from Energy Star, the EPA’s program that sets energy efficiency standards for a variety of common appliances. Although Energy Star does not have a rating for residential ovens or ranges, the program has determined that gas water heaters, furnaces, and dryers will will no longer be eligible To be listed on their “Most Proficient” list. This means that there will be no gas stoves either.