Agency to consider federal ban of gas stoves over health hazards
Breanne Deppisch
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A federal agency will weigh plans to regulate and even ban natural gas stoves in the U.S., a top official said, over research showing a link between harmful air pollutants and the popular household appliances.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. said in an interview published Monday his agency plans to take action to address the pollutants, which have been linked to asthma and other respiratory issues.
“Any option is on the table,” he told Bloomberg, describing the pollutants as a “hidden hazard.”
“Products that can’t be made safe can be banned,” he said.
The agency has already issued a request for information seeking public data on hazards associated with the natural gas stoves and input for proposed solutions, a spokesperson for the agency told the Washington Examiner.
The request for information “is the first step in what could be a long journey toward regulating gas stoves,” Trumka, a Biden appointee and a former Democratic congressional staffer as well as the son of Richard Trumka, the late former top labor official, told reporters in December.
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Trumka called the ban on new gas stoves a “real possibility,” and said that given enough public pressure, the agency “could get a regulation on the books before this time next year.”
Gas stoves, which are used in roughly 40% of U.S. homes and are favored by many cooks, have been found to emit air pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other particulate matter at levels deemed unsafe by the EPA and World Health Organization.
Recent studies have shown the appliances can leak methane, a harmful planet-warming gas, even when turned off.
Gas stove pollution has also been linked to roughly 12.7% of childhood asthma cases in the U.S., according to a new study published late last month — a level of exposure similar to the childhood asthma burden attributed to secondhand smoke exposure.
The study, led by environmental think tank RMI, estimated as many as 650,000 cases of childhood asthma can be attributed to the use of gas stoves.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said it has not yet proposed any new regulatory actions.
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In addition to the public information request, however, the person added that the commission has started to work with voluntary standards organizations to examine emissions from gas stoves and address potential hazards caused by the appliances.