FILE - A natural gas stove is pictured in a file image dated Aug. 25, 2022. (Photo by Stefan Rousseau/PA Images via Getty Images) It’s estimated that some 40 million U.S.
homes have natural gas stoves. They’re often touted as being a more precise heating tool for cooking, but they can be pricey — and potentially harmful to both human health and the planet.Research on gas stoves has pointed to concerning health issues, such as childhood asthma.
Academic researchers, like Dr. Jonathan Levy, an environmental health professor at Boston University, have also warned about how such appliances can release hazardous air pollutants even when they’re turned off."How can one gas stove contribute more to your exposure than an entire highway full of vehicles?
The answer is that outdoor pollution disperses over a large area, while indoor pollution concentrates in a small space," Levy wrote in a piece published this week by The Conversation.Cooking with gas stoves creates nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which is a byproduct of fuel combustion and a known lung irritant, according to the U.S.