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The science behind the great gas stove debate

A gas-burning stove is offered for sale at a home improvement store in Chicago, Illinois.
A gas-burning stove is offered for sale at a home improvement store in Chicago, Illinois.

The gas stove is a fixture in millions of American homes. But that could be changing.

Burning natural gas inside your home comes with health risks, especially without proper ventilation, according to the American Public Health Association.A study released in December found that gas stoves are responsible for nearly 13 percent of childhood asthma cases.

TheU.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has been looking into the health and climate impacts of gas stoves. Earlier this month,it said stricter regulationmight be necessary.

In response, the American Gas Association released a statement:

Regulators, like the Consumer Products Safety Commission, should rely on real data and science not unsubstantiated claims of advocates. Attempts to generate consumer fears with baseless allegations to justify the banning of natural gas is a misguided agenda that will not improve the environment or the health of consumers and would saddle vulnerable populations with significant costs.

That got us wondering, politics aside, are gas stoves that bad for you? What’s the science behind these concerns? And what does this mean for all those other gas appliances we have in our homes? 

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Amanda Williams