A house full of attractive people, plenty of drama, and so many romantic storylines it's difficult to know where to look — seems like the ideal recipe for the perfect reality dating show.
In fact, it's a recipe for a potent mix of hazardous, health-affecting toxins that could be building up in your own home.
A new video from advocacy group Hot & Toxic took a creative approach to explain the dangers of using natural gas for appliances such as stoves and furnaces.
The spoof began with a new homeowner expressing their delight about the property's gas stove, but she soon realized that things were not quite as they seemed.
In comes "Nitrogen Dioxide," a character dressed in hot pink and who is described as a "respiratory damager."
"I'm Nitrogen Dioxide, but you can call me Di, because this body is to die for!" the new housemate said. "And I'll probably make you die."
She was soon joined by "Carbon Monoxide," a "fatally poisonous" character, and "Benzene," a guitar-strumming "cancer-causer" who soon found kinship with the remaining 18 "housemates," who excitedly reveal "We're all cancers!"
"'Natural' gas is a hot mess," the organization's website states. "After all, with 21 pollutants filling the air in your home, there's no escaping the drama. It's almost like living with a house full of toxic reality stars."
It's a hilarious video about a very real problem. Gas stoves are coveted as an attractive feature of a kitchen, but the problems mount quickly.
In addition to releasing other toxic chemicals such as hexane and xylene, the "natural" part of "natural gas" isn't all it might seem.
The packaging looks great, but natural gas is typically formed of methane, a planet-warming gas that can be as much as 80 times more potent in terms of heating potential than carbon dioxide.
Energy companies often promote the use of natural gas as being better for the planet than burning coal, but in reality, it still produces emissions that trap heat in the atmosphere and exacerbate the rate of rising temperatures.
To avoid letting these toxic characters enter your home, perhaps consider an electric induction cooker to make your meals — or at least open a window if cooking with gas is unavoidable. To warm your home, air or heat pumps are far better for the planet than gas-fired furnaces, and good insulation can reduce the need to turn up the heat, too.
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