Cooking with a gas stove could be having a greater effect on your health than you realize, as a man recently found after testing levels of air pollution in his kitchen.
A TikToker known as qousqous (@qousqous_tsziar) shared reports that indicate dangerous pollution from gas stoves causes 12.7% of asthma in young children.
@qousqous_tsziar #gasstove pollution causes 12% of childhood #asthma. I tested NO2 levels with an air quality sensor and cooked. The results are troubling. #indoorairquality #no2 #nitrogendioxide #homescience ♬ original sound - qousqous
As gas stoves are used in roughly 35% of homes across the country, per The Washington Post, the TikToker sought to find out how much pollution there is when cooking with one. He called what he found "troubling."
Qousqous revealed that he measured nitrogen dioxide levels in the air of his kitchen with an air quality sensor by cooking pasta and baking bread with his gas stove and gas oven. After making a delicious-looking dinner, he found the indoor air pollution levels in his home hit a peak of 283 μg/m3, and the levels stayed above 200 for an hour.
"This is bad," he warned.
As is visible on his laptop screen showing the air quality sensor's results, the World Health Organization has issued a guideline that individuals should only be exposed to levels of 200 µg/m3 of nitrogen dioxide for one hour.
Air pollution levels from gas stoves can vary depending on how much you use your stove, and these dangerous toxins can be reduced with proper ventilation. Having a range hood above your stove or opening a window can help mitigate pollution levels and increase your home's air quality.
Or you can avoid exposure to the harmful pollutants by ditching a gas stove altogether. Induction stovetops are eco-friendly alternatives homeowners and renters can consider to protect their air quality. These stoves are typically easier to clean and can be safer to use compared to gas and an open flame.
If you do not own your home and want to replace your gas stove, consider speaking with your landlord about installing this alternative or buying a portable induction burner.
"All these people saying he needs a hood like we all don't rent. … This is alarming," one user commented.
"How in the world are we JUST being told this happens with gas stoves?" another asked.
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