Despite recent claims that no one is coming for your gas stoves, the latest step being taken by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) sure looks like that is not the case. The CPSC approved a request for information on gas stove hazards and potential solutions on Wednesday. This is a common step taken before they take any regulatory action.
The CPSC says this step is an essential milestone in taking steps to protect consumers from the potential hidden hazards in their homes with the emissions from gas stoves. The CPSC is asking scientists, consumers, and the public to share what they know about research on the health hazards of gas stove emissions, including any connection to conditions like childhood asthma and potential solutions to remediate such hazards, including the feasibility, costs, and benefits of those options.
CPSC says this is not the first time that they have considered the health effects of chronic exposure to emissions from home appliances, particularly nitrogen dioxide. In 1986, CPSC worked with the Environmental Protection Agency to review the health effects of exposure to nitrogen dioxide generated by unvented indoor combustion, including from gas stoves.
The CPSC Commissioner Richard Trumka says through this information-gathering process he is looking forward to learning more about the chronic health effects of nitrogen dioxide emissions and particulate matter emissions from gas stoves. In addition, Trumka is interested in any research on the long-term effects of exposure to relatively low levels of carbon monoxide. Does research reveal whether there are any emission levels of these substances that are proven to be safe inside the home? How should we think about the effects on vulnerable populations, including children, older adults, and lower-income Americans? Are there technologies that can eliminate any unreasonable hazards? If technologies to improve the performance of gas stoves are not commercially viable or have not been demonstrated to be safe, what options remain?
The nonprofit Rewiring America is also pushing for induction stoves. The group argues that gas stoves are harmful to the environment. Rewiring America says its purpose is to make electrification simple, measurable, and inevitable. Every single retirement of any machine that runs on fossil fuels is an opportunity for electrification, according to Rewiring America.
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