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If You Cook With Gas Are You Putting Your Family At Risk?
Natural gas is more than just a fuel to heat homes and businesses. In the United States cooking with gas appears to be the method of choice for the majority of homeowners who prefer it to electricity.
The latest controversy has arisen because an official, Richard Trumka Jr., a member of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission told a Bloomberg reporter that there is research linking gas stoves in homes to increased levels of asthma in children. Trumka mentioned that the agency was considering regulating natural gas indoor home appliances because of this remark that “products that can’t be made safe can be banned.”
This comment was interpreted by some in politics to be an assault on freedom of choice with Matt Gaetz, a Republican Member of the House tweeting “you’ll have to pry it from my COLD DEAD HANDS!”
What does the science say about cooking with gas pertaining to emissions? How much does it contribute to respiratory illnesses in children? And how much does it contribute to global warming? The former is a real issue, the latter not nearly as much. And it is not CH4 consumption that is the kitchen appliance issue. Almost all the CH4 used during cooking burns up. The problem occurs if an appliance is not well maintained because that’s when leaks occur. Those leaks can be CH4. But they can also be carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). CO leaks can kill you. NO2 leaks contribute to increased incidents of respiratory disease.
If You Cook With Gas Are You Putting Your Family At Risk?
Congressman Matt Gaetz reacted to a proposed suggestion to regulate gas stoves by saying "you'll have to pry it from my COLD DEAD HANDS!" The issue of using natural gas cookers and their potential in-home environmental harm to children with asthma and adults with pulmonary diseases has been documented in science journals. The variability in study results suggests more research is needed. The problem isn't methane gas, it is nitrogen dioxide leaks that can occur after the burners are shut off in an improperly maintained stove. But that doesn't speak to the real problem which is the acceptance of natural gas as a transitional fuel on the way to net-zero. The world is complacent about getting off all fossil fuels and government policy that has entrenched natural gas as a legitimate "green" option (see latest EU policy as an example) speaks to the disconnect by government when addressing the reality of anthropogenic global warming.
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