Gases from gas stoves are harmful to children’s healthThe pollution they emit is responsible for nearly 10,000 cases of asthma among Portuguese children and youth. The warning came from international non-governmental organizations that warned of the danger of cooking on this type of stove.
In a report titled “Exposing the Unknown Health Effects of Cooking with Gas,” the organizations say gas stoves violate WHO and European Union air pollution regulations several times a week.
The number of childhood asthma cases due to cooking gas is as high as 10,000 in Portugal, but it is higher in Spain, France and Italy, where a much higher percentage of families cook with gas. The report’s authors accuse the European Union of not using existing legal powers to ban gas stoves, nor to warn customers, especially families with children.
The report was authored by CLASP, an international organization that has been working to promote energy efficiency since 1999, and by the European Public Health Association (EPHA) and determines that gas cooking in a typical kitchen in southern European countries, without mechanical ventilation, causes nitrogen dioxide in places enclosed. Pollution at a rate exceeding WHO air quality guidelines and European Union air pollution standards several times a week.
Another organization from the Netherlands, TNO, which also contributed to the study, conducted tests that showed that gas stoves also produce carbon monoxide and other particulate matter and pollutants that can cause serious health effects, especially for children.
Officials say they fear the situation will get worse this winter, because of the energy crisis, when many people will have to reduce the ventilation of their homes so as not to cool them down and save money on heating and also because they are unaware. dangers of gas stoves.
January 16, 2023
Emily Brontë is a journalist and feature writer specialising in culture, entertainment, literature, and current affairs. She is dedicated to producing clear, accurate reporting that helps readers stay informed about developments in the UK and around the world.
