Are Gas Stoves Bad for Our Health?

I like my stove. There is nothing quite like cooking over that beautiful blue flame, so quickly adjusted with a flick of a dial and so suited to its purpose that we say we are cooking with gas. Environmentalists warn that gas stoves are bad for the climate and not so good for our health. Health concerns about noxious fumes in our kitchens have been raised by two new studies. Is it possible to change our cooking habits? In some small ways, the answer is yes, and others will want to judge for themselves.

There are two different types of emissions related to gas stove. Unburned natural gas can escape before the flame ignites or leak from a gas hook up. Methane is more than ninety percent. Nitrogen oxides can cause irritation to the lungs when a burner is on.

The amount of unburned gas that leaks into kitchens when a stove is off was surprising. More than three quarters of methane escapes from a stove when it isn't being used, most likely through imperfect pipe fitting. According to Rob Jackson, senior author of the study, only one out of 53 stoves did not leak when turned off. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. Jackson and his co-authors estimate that the heat-trapping potential of methane they discharge annually is equivalent to half a million gas-powered cars.

Nitrogen oxides are produced when using the stove. In a matter of minutes, families who do not use their exhaust hoods and who have small, poorly ventilated kitchens can surpass the Environmental Protection Agency's outdoor exposure limit. The EPA doesn't have an indoor safety standard for these gasses. Excess nitrogen dioxide can cause respiratory problems in people. There is strong evidence that long-term exposure increases the risk of asthma.

The second study looked at the non-methane components of unburned gas. The EPA considers benzene and other volatile organic compounds to be hazardous. Drew Michanowicz is a senior scientist at a nonprofit research and policy group. Many of us work at home. My stove is 10 feet away from me and we take 20,000 breaths a day. Natural gas has other things in it. As more people weatherize their homes and seal windows, Michanowicz fears that indoor pollution will be increased.

The American Gas Association has criticized both studies. Richard Meyers, a vice president of the association, said that the levels of VOCs found in the Boston study are remarkably low. The plastic sheets were used to create small spaces around the stove. The tenting was done in large kitchens to aid in measuring the rate of gas release and the health risk assessments were done in open kitchens.

What is the average home cook's reaction to this? Michanowicz did a lot of his cooking on the $100 plug-in burner he bought. Jackson is going to put his money where his research is, and that is to replace a perfectly good gas stove. Incentives should be provided for people to switch to electric ranges. Natural gas is being used less in new construction in the U.S.

Changes are being made for me. About 25 to 40 percent of people say they use the exhaust hood over their stove, but I use it for boiling water instead. I'll open a window.