These are the health dangers of cooking with gas

Did you know that cooking with gas can make the air inside your home up to five times more polluted? This is the result of research reported in The Guardian, which investigated the health dangers caused by the use of gas stoves.

The study found levels of pollution that would be illegal outdoors, yet we have them indoors without even realizing it.

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The study was carried out by a research group from the Rocky Mountain Institute supported by numerous collectives who fight for environmental defense in the United States.

These are the words spoken by the lead author of the scientific study, Brady Seals, reported in The Guardian: "Somehow we’ve gotten accustomed to having a combustion device, often unvented, inside of the home".

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Cooking with gas results in nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide emissions in the home, a risky situation especially for the youngest in the family.

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Also according to reports from The Guardian, the report established that children who live in homes where gas stoves are used are 42% more likely to suffer from asthma.

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A study carried out, however, in Australia, determined that 12.3% of childhood asthma in the country can be attributed to the use of gas in the kitchen.

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The emission of nitrogen dioxide can also be responsible for the worsening of a disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as being linked to heart problems, diabetes or even cancer.

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According to these studies, the best solution to solve this problem would be to switch to the use of electric stoves. But there are other possibilities as well.

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So that cooking with gas does not jeopardize the health of all family members, especially that of the little ones, it is necessary to adopt certain behaviours: ventilate well when using the stove by opening windows or using the extractor hood.

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It could also be beneficial to use an air purifier with a HEPA filter (a very efficient filtration system) or install a carbon monoxide detector.

However, in an article published in the New York Times, the question was also explored, and it stated that, in reality, the indoor pollution problem due to the use of the stove could also be attributed to electric stoves.

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This is because ultra-fine particles and volatile organic compounds linked to health problems are released during cooking, whether you use gas or electric stoves.

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So what should we do? We certainly can't stop cooking! It seems that good ventilation is key to avoiding all the risks associated with using both electric and gas stoves.

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With good ventilation in the kitchen, the risk of respiratory diseases is almost completely eliminated.

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Furthermore, there has recently been a lot of talk about abandoning fossil fuels and switching to electrically powered appliances both in and out of the kitchen, as they are better for the environment. But, in reality, it would be preferable to do it only if the cooking system is damaged and, therefore, needs to be changed.