The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is considering banning the appliances in an effort to reduce harmful indoor air pollution, according to a tweet by commissioner Rich Trumka Jr. and comments he gave to Bloomberg. “This is a hidden hazard,” Trumka told the news organization. “Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.” Honestly, it wouldn’t be a moment too soon. Gas stove use is associated with both childhood and lifetime asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a leading cause of death worldwide. Even when they’re turned off, they leak a significant amount of gas, and the natural gas pumped into U.S. homes almost always contains well-known carcinogens, including benzene, hexane and toluene. The health benefits of banning gas stoves would be enormous if only because they’re so widespread. Across the U.S., 38% of households have natural gas stoves. In some states like California and New Jersey, 70% of households use them. That’s a lot of asthma.
Climate benefits of killing gas stoves aren’t what you think, but the health benefits are by Tim De Chant originally published on TechCrunch
