New York CNN
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A federal agency is considering a ban on gas stoves, a source of indoor pollution linked to childhood asthma.
In an interview with Bloomberg, a US Consumer Product Safety commissioner said gas stove usage is a "hidden hazard."
"Any option is on the table. Products that can't be made safe can be banned," agency commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. told Bloomberg. The report said the agency plans "to take action" to address the indoor pollution caused by stoves.
The CPSC has been considering action on gas stoves for months. Trumka recommended in October that the CPSC seek public comment on the hazards associated with gas stoves. The pollutants have been linked to asthma and worsening respiratory conditions.
A photo shows the adjustment wheel of a gas boiler in a flat in Dortmund, western Germany, on October 4, 2022. Photo by Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images.
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A December 2022 study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that indoor gas stove usage is associated with an increased risk of current asthma among children. The study found that almost 13% of current childhood asthma in the US is attributable to gas stove use.
Trumka told Bloomberg the agency plans to open public comment on gas stove hazards. Options besides a ban include "setting standards on emissions from the appliances."
Thirty-five percent of households in the United States use a gas stove, and the number approaches 70% in some states like California and New Jersey. Other studies have found these stoves emit significant levels of nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter – which without proper ventilation can raise the levels of indoor concentration levels to unsafe levels as deemed by the EPA.
"Short-term exposure to NO2 is linked to worsening asthma in children, and long-term exposure has been determined to likely cause the development of asthma," a group of lawmakers said in a letter to chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric, adding it can also exacerbate cardiovascular illnesses.