It sounds like the next big battle in our culture war will be over kitchen stoves that use natural gas. Are people who prepare food with these stoves allowing pollution into their home that can cause children to develop asthma? Or do these claims stem from one-sided research by environmental groups that want to ban gas stoves?
The answer to both questions is “yes.” As Megan McArdle, a columnist for The Washington Post, put it: “Gas stoves burn gas, and combustion produces carbon monoxide, fine particulate matter and other unlovely byproducts you don’t want in your house.”
At the same time, when a member of the Consumer Product Safety Commission goes overboard and hints that the days of cooking over an open gas flame might be numbered because of health concerns, critics are right to pounce. The head of the agency followed up by saying that he does not want to ban gas stoves, and the CPSC has no procedure to do it.
McArdle’s Jan. 12 column said there is a real movement to ban gas stoves in homes, even if only in new ones being built, because the methane they use is a greenhouse gas. But she correctly called it “a thoroughly boneheaded approach to the real — but modest — problems that gas stoves present.”
Would it be better, for example, to redesign gas stoves to reduce or eliminate indoor pollution? Could a stove’s ventilation system be improved to remove dangerous air particulates on the spot? And how do any problems caused by gas stoves compare to other forms of cooking?
Conservative critics of talk of gas stove bans were right to object to unnecessary government mandates, and also to question the research that went into the argument that gas stoves need to be junked. In fact, a recent study on gas stoves and childhood asthma got lots of attention last week. But it turns out that two of the authors work for an environmental group, which undercuts their objectivity.
McArdle said some conservative commentary extended to criticizing electric stoves and even the newer induction ranges, which are the most efficient users of energy and allow cooks to set more precise temperatures. This makes it sound like gas stoves are the only way to go when there are reasonable alternatives.
Liberals, meanwhile, who favor getting rid of gas stoves are going about it the wrong way. McArdle believes that over time, induction ranges are likely to win the kitchen battle. But rather than wait for that, she said, “some environmentalists would like the government to make everyone switch.”
It all brings to mind the debate a decade ago over light bulbs. The government turned against the inefficient bulbs most of us grew up with, citing the heat they generated and the energy they used. It would have been better for the feds to back away and let technology work its free market magic through LED lights, which are more expensive but last many times longer.
In the end, if you use a gas stove in your home, you should be aware of possible health risks. Make sure the stove’s vent is a strong one, and that you use it while cooking. Maybe even open a couple of windows so outside air will get in.
— Jack Ryan, McComb Enterprise-Journal
