It may seem like a small switch, but pivoting from a gas to an induction stove won't just make cooking easy — it will make the entire kitchen safer and healthier.
What's the research?
A study conducted by Manhattan-based nonprofit WE ACT for Environmental Justice looked at a sample of 20 households — half of which used gas, the other half of which used induction stoves — over the course of nearly a year.
The researchers monitored the homes over week-long periods, tracking air quality and collecting the levels of certain toxic gasses like nitrogen dioxide and methane.
Phys.org reported that the most striking conclusion was that average daily nitrogen dioxide concentrations were 56% lower in the homes with induction stoves compared to the control group of gas stoves.
In fact, during controlled cooking tests, the median background NO2 concentration was nearly 10 times higher in gas homes (from 18 parts per billion to 197) while barely increasing in induction homes.
The findings were published in the journal Energy Research & Social Science and shared by Science Direct.
Why are gas stoves so harmful?
While almost 40% of American households use gas stoves, per Phys.org, these findings are not the first to suggest migrating away from using them.
When it comes to health, limiting exposure to NO2 is particularly important for anybody prone to respiratory illness. Even short-term exposure to the gas can trigger respiratory disease flare ups, some of which can result in hospital stays and even premature mortality, per the EPA.
Long-term exposure, like you'd have in a home with a gas stove, is even worse, having been associated with the onset of asthma as well as premature death.
Gas stoves are just as harmful to the environment as they are to humans. Phys.org reported that residential gas use accounts for 15% of the United States' gas consumption, releasing alarmingly high methane levels into the atmosphere each year.
"A green energy transition should prioritize electric stoves, which both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the health of vulnerable populations," Phys.org quoted senior author Darby Jack, Ph.D.
Meanwhile, study co-author Annie Carforo, MUP and climate justice campaigns manager for WE ACT, noted some people are more affected by this issue than others and need support to move away from gas stoves.
"People of color and low-income individuals are more likely to live in smaller, older apartments that have poor ventilation, ineffective or broken range hoods and dated appliances that leak more gas," Carforo said. "It is crucial for environmental justice that they are not left behind in this transition."
What's being done to address this?
In places like New York City, where the gas stove rate is much higher than the national average, governments are looking to quickly move away from them.
In fact, New York passed a law last year that will ban gas-powered heaters, cooking stoves, and water boilers in all new buildings, Phys.org reported. Similarly, in 2022, California adopted a building code requiring new buildings to be "all-electric ready," with the aim of enabling a gas-free and healthier future for residents.
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