When Tara Kahan took home pollution measurements after gas cooking in 2017 and 2018, the University of Saskatchewan chemist and her colleagues were amazed at both how high the nitrogen oxide levels were and how long they lasted . Exposure to nitrogen oxides, produced during the combustion of gas, is is associated with respiratory problems such as asthma and decreased lung function, especially in children. For example, a 2013 meta-analysis of 41 studies found that Children living in a house that used gas for cooking had a 42% increased risk of asthma. Kahan measurements found that not only did they exceed the levels of nitrogen oxide pollutants sometimes Health Canada Instructions for one hour exposurebut the pollutants often remained for a few hours. “It really took him a long time to leave,” said Kahan, an associate professor and chair of research at Environmental Analytical Chemistry in Canada. “All the researchers were terrified.” University of Saskatchewan researcher Tara Kahan, right, is standing next to the instruments she used to measure indoor air pollution from cooking and cleaning. (Tara Kahan)
Kahan immediately applied the new knowledge to her life. “After that, as soon as it was possible, I switched from a gas stove to [electric] induction, “he said. She is not the only one. Rob Jackson, a professor of environmental science at Stanford University, wrote a recent study that found Gas stoves leak unexpectedly high levels of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, even when closed – and create significant levels of indoor air pollution. What he found prompted him to work to electrify his home as well. Its gas stove has an electric oven, but it does not seem possible to replace only the burners. “I hesitate to throw in a perfectly good electric oven,” he said. “But we will do that.” The combined effects of stoves on health and climate are also beginning to draw the attention of celebrity chefs such as John Horne, Angus An and John Kung, who have become evangelists for induction electric stoves in an area where gas stoves were once considered essential tool for anyone seriously involved in cooking. CLOCKS Why do scientists and chefs abandon their gas stoves – and advertise this alternative

Because gas stoves are bad for the climate – and so are you

Gas stoves create dangerous levels of indoor air pollution and leak climate-changing methane. Now, some chefs support this alternative. 3:08

Impact on the health of gas hobs

Dr. Melissa Lem is a Vancouver GP and President-elect of the Canadian Association of Environmental Physicians. The team ran an advertising campaign last year highlighting the negative health effects of gas, including those related to:

Pollution from natural gas extractionsuch as genetic abnormalities and cancer. Climate change is caused by the leakage of methane, the main component of natural gas, and a much more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Pollution of indoor air from cooking with natural gas.

Lem noted that in 2015, Health Canada released news Home air quality guidelines for nitrogen dioxide – one of the many pollutants that are created when cooking with an electric stove – due to the negative effects on health. “Most gas lines in Canada do not even come close to meeting these air quality standards,” he said. “And research shows that this can be detrimental to your health, such as worsening asthma παιδιά in children” or worsening chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults. Lem added that nitrogen oxides are not the only pollutants released during cooking on gas stoves – others include formaldehyde, nitric oxide and carbon monoxide, which can be deadly. I liked my gas stove, but two years ago I had the opportunity to switch to induction. I got it & never looked back – and never will. Why not? Because gas stoves are not only bad for climate change, they are bad for you too. https://t.co/wOtkIS4B7k – @ KHayhoe

What can be done to reduce health risks?

The experts we spoke to suggest that you replace your gas stove with an electric one if you can. But if this is not possible – for example, if you are a tenant or can not afford a new stove – there are other things you can do to reduce the risk. Use other cooking methods. Jackson began making more use of his microwave oven, along with a portable electric induction burner. Ventilate during cooking. “Before this study, I never opened the hood,” Jackson said, noting that studies show that most people do not do it because it is noisy. But he has changed his habits after seeing the pollutant measurements. “Now I always turn on the hood and whine to my friends and family to turn on the hoods when they use the gas stove, every time.” Jackson warned that many hood fans do not actually ventilate outside – they just blow air through a filter before throwing it back into the room. “And this is problematic because these filters do not clean harmful gases.” Kahan said hood fans can help, but only reduce pollutant levels by half. He said other forms of ventilation, such as opening a window, are also a good idea when possible. Use the rear burners. More gas from the rear burners is captured by the fan of your hood compared to the front burners. Researcher Eric Lebel attaches sensors to a stove to measure how often it is used in Stanford, California, in 2020, for a study he did with Professor Rob Jackson. The team found that gas stoves were worse for the climate than previously thought due to continuous tiny methane leaks. (Rob Jackson / The Associated Press)

What about other gas appliances?

Jackson said that while other appliances such as ovens, water heaters and fireplaces burn gas, most – unlike stoves – need to be ventilated outside. That said, there is some evidence that ovens can also cause nitrogen oxide pollution. Michael Thomas, founder of Carbon Switch, a website that focuses on sustainable living, said he was never too worried about having a gas stove because it was only open for a short time each day. But while he was expecting his first child, he began to read about the pollutants produced by gas stoves. This prompted him to purchase and install some indoor air quality monitoring devices in his home. Report the results in a blog post earlier this year. Michael Thomas keeps an air monitor he used to measure the air quality in his home. He found that nitrous oxide levels rose during cooking with his gas stove, but were also high early in the morning when his oven was running. (CBC News)
Of course, they showed that nitrogen dioxide increased after cooking with its gas stove. This worried him. But there were also peaks between midnight and 4 in the morning Thomas soon realized that it was then that his gas stove was working to keep the house warm on cold nights. “And so I realized that the gas stove was actually leaking nitrogen dioxide into our house through all the vents.” LISTEN Gas-free cooking: why cities cut methane from homes What On Earth29: 58Cooking without gas: why cities cut methane from homes Some municipalities are removing gas from buildings in a turn towards a greener future. Laura Lynch checks in two cities on both sides of Lake Ontario, both leading the way. 29:58
Thomas consulted an environmental epidemiologist, Josiah Kephart, who said that while individual homeowners are often told that this is unusual and associated with defective equipment, his tests have shown that high levels of nitrogen dioxide indoors are the norm.. “My view is that we simply should not allow these devices to be installed in homes, as they often fail and end up creating very dangerous indoor air pollution,” Thomas said. He and his wife have not yet decided if they are going to stay home for a long time in Boulder, Colo.-, but if they do, “then the plan would be to get an induction hob and a hob and then electrify everything. space heating and water heating “.

How much should I worry? Do I have to get rid of my gas stove?

Jackson said he’s not sure how indoor air pollution from gas stoves compares to other sources of pollution in people’s lives, such as those from highways, but it is pollution that people do not need to be exposed to. “I think it makes sense to eliminate all the sources of pollution in our lives that we can, especially if there is other technology available that is just as good and much cleaner,” he said. Vancouver Chef Angus An prepares dishes in an electric induction hob, which many chefs now advertise as a superior alternative to gas hobs. (Angus An)
One bonus is that electricity also reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Not only did Jackson’s study find that gas stoves leaked more methane than we thought, but newer, more expensive stoves did not leak less than older, cheaper stoves. He suspects that there is no other way to solve the problem. “I see electricity as a victory for the climate, but also a way to improve the air we breathe – we improve our health. That’s why I think it’s a good idea to do it, especially if you are a family with young children in your home. Home.” Thomas acknowledged that this is not an option for everyone, but suggested that you consider it especially if you are considering buying a new stove or building a new home. In fact, his advice is to electrify if you are replacing any gas appliances, be it an oven, water heater or stove. “If you have the choice, then I think putting a gas stove is crazy at this point, given all the research on the health effects and methane leaks.”