A new study has highlighted the risks we are taking when using a particular appliance in our homes, with calls for people to phase them out.
Gas stoves have long been seen as a desirable feature in Australian homes — with more than half of us using them to do our cooking — but a new study has highlighted how much harm they could be doing to the environment and people’s health.
A Stanford University study published today in the journal Environmental Science and Technology found methane leaking from gas stoves in homes in America had a climate impact similar to the carbon dioxide emissions from about 500,000 petrol-powered cars.
Almost three quarters of these methane emissions were recorded while appliances were switched off.
When the gas is burned, it also exposes people to formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides.
“Gas when it’s burnt releases a whole range of air pollutants but from a health perspective the most concerning are PM2.5 and nitrogen oxide because they are most closely linked to poor health like asthma,” Climate Councillor and public health physician Dr Kate Charlesworth told news.com.au.
Nitrogen dioxide is a respiratory irritant and can lead to asthma, coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing and occasionally results in hospitalisation.
The findings support calls for people to switch their gas appliances to electric versions with induction cooktops now an attractive alternative.
Dr Charlesworth said the Stanford report highlighted gas was a “double whammy”, impacting people’s health through exacerbating climate change that drives extreme weather events, as well as from the direct impact of burning the fossil fuel in people’s homes.
Methane does not stay in the atmosphere for as long as carbon dioxide but its impact is still 86 times more potent when measured across 20 years.
Pressure to phase out gas appliances will likely increase as the world tries to keep global warming under 2C.
“The interesting thing about this study is that even when the stove was turned off, it was leaking methane,” Dr Charlesworth said.
Researchers measured methane levels in 53 homes in the United States, including when the gas stoves were not being used. They calculated the amount of methane being released from that more than 40 million homes that have gas stoves in America would be equivalent to 500,000 petrol cars.
They also recorded the release of nitrogen oxides when the stoves were in use, which can cause or worsen conditions like asthma. The study found concentrations of nitrogen oxides greatly depended on the turnover rate of air in homes, with fresh air eventually reducing levels of pollution.
But many people don’t have adequate ventilation in their kitchens and while exhaust hoods can help to remove compounds like formaldehyde and nitrogen oxides, researchers estimate they are only used about 25 to 40 per cent of the time.
“Ductless” hoods that recirculated the fumes rather than venting them outside were also less effective at cleaning the air.
“These (appliances) are in people’s homes, where children sometimes spend time playing while parents do the cooking,” Dr Charlesworth said.
She recommended people with gas stoves make sure there was adequate ventilation and to open windows while cooking. If it was possible people should switch to electric appliances, which are safer and healthier.
“I think it’s something that many people haven’t thought much about, many parents who have children with asthma know their triggers like exercise or viruses, but don’t think about air pollution in the home,” she said.
Report senior author and Stanford Professor of Energy and Environment Rob Jackson said shifting away from gas would remove the risk.
“I don’t want to breathe any extra nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide or formaldehyde,” Prof Jackson.
“Why not reduce the risk entirely? Switching to electric stoves will cut greenhouse gas emissions and indoor air pollution.”
Gas stoves are extremely popular in America but even more so in Australia.
Around one third of households in the United States use gas for cooking but more than half of all cooktops in Australia are fuelled by gas, a Climate Council report authored by Dr Charlesworth last year noted.
Kicking the gas habit: How gas is harming our health highlighted research that showed cooking with gas was responsible for up to 12 per cent of the burden of childhood asthma in Australia.
“Today’s gas appliances are a poor cousin to more efficient and healthier electric alternatives,” the report said.
“Like kerosene, coal and wood, household gas is a technology that belongs in the past: a health risk that we no longer need nor can afford to be taking and a shift away will provide clear benefits.”
Leading energy analyst Honorary Associate Professor Hugh Saddler of the Australian National University has previously told news.com.au that installing new gas appliances in homes could leave owners at risk of being stuck with old technology.
He said gas heating systems for example had an expected life of around 20 years and people buying these systems now were locking in emissions for the next two decades.
Prof Saddler said policies were needed to ensure these appliances were being replaced with electric versions, and alternatives were now “fully mature and cost effective”.
Reverse cycle airconditioning, solar hot water systems and induction cooktops can replace gas heating, hot water and stovetops.
“There is no need for gas in households at all,” Prof Saddler said.
Originally published as Study highlights health and environmental dangers of gas stoves
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