The Best Stove for Your Health and the Environment

Gas stoves are associated with a certain allure: an image of prestigious chefs cooking in sought-after, high-end kitchens over an open flame. At the same time, electric stoves and their dated coils have been eschewed by many at-home culinary enthusiasts. But recently, that wisdom is being flipped upside down as the world gets a fuller understanding of the harmful health and climate impacts tied to our love of gas stoves. A startling study published in January by Stanford University found that natural gas stoves—which more than a third of American homes use—may emit concerning levels of indoor air pollution, and could play a larger role in driving climate change than previously believed. Even when they weren’t being used, natural gas stoves were shown to release methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and other harmful pollutants—including formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen dioxide—through leaks and in the service line. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The findings beg a much larger question of whether households around the world should move to potentially safer, and more efficient, electric induction stoves. Methane leaks found in American kitchens Historically, residential homes and buildings have been a blind spot when it comes to methane emissions. Very few studies have tried to measure how much methane is released by living in our homes and working in buildings; one study suggests we may be undercounting this impact in cities. ...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Environment Evergreen freelance healthscienceclimate Source Type: news