Feds Consider Banning Gas Stoves – For Good Reason
In a move that's sure to get a Cajun's blood boiling, one federal agency is considering a ban on gas stoves.
For those that grew up with an electric stove, you may never know the frustration felt by people who learned to cook on gas. It's just...different.
How is it different? When using a gas stove, you can see the flame. You know how high that flame is and, for the most part, you can cook on ANY gas stove.
With an electric stove, settings can vary from model to model, brand to brand. A "5" setting on a GE might be equivalent to a "7" on a KitchenAid or a "4" on a Hotpoint.
And on an electric stove, the heat is not constant - the burner will come on for a few seconds and then shut off for a few seconds, attempting to maintain its set temperature. (Very frustrating for those of us who are accustomed to gas.)
With all of this being said, am I willing to give up having a gas stove because some government agency might ban them?
Maybe.
And the reason I say "maybe" is this - if that gas stove is making someone in my household ill, I'll dump it in a heartbeat.
According to Bloomberg, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is concerned about the gas stoves' effect on indoor air quality and, more importantly, our health.
In a recent interview with the news agency, the commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission said (in reference to gas stoves), "this is a hidden hazard".
Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. also said that if there is a product that can't be made safe, it "can be banned".
So, what's the issue with the gas stoves? It appears that gas stoves (and other appliances using natural gas) can emit levels of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) that are dangerous to us humans.
Nitrogen Dioxide has been known to cause asthma and other respiratory problems in humans, especially the little humans.
If your child has asthma AND you have a gas stove, it might be time to make a change.
As for an all-out ban on gas stoves - it appears that option is on the table, but there has been no federal action yet. Some municipalities have already banned them (both in California and in New York), but this is the first mention of the thought of a federal ban.
One expert quoted in the Bloomberg story is saying that, by using a gas stove, we are polluting our homes.
There is about 50 years of health studies showing that gas stoves are bad for our health, and the strongest evidence is on children and children’s asthma... - Brady Seals, RMI - via Bloomberg
A spokesperson for the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers thinks that the feds are being too aggressive and that "ventilation is really where this discussion should be", according to the story from Bloomberg.
So, what do you think? If you knew that your gas stove was harming your child, would you be willing to give it up in exchange for an electric model?