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A recent report revealed that gas stoves contribute to 40,000 deaths annually across Europe. Harmful pollutants released into the air have been found to cause a number of illnesses and have an impact on average lifespan. The study, titled 'Assessment of the health impacts and costs associated with indoor nitrogen dioxide exposure related to gas cooking in the European Union and the United Kingdom,' was conducted by the Jaume I University in Spain and published on October 28, 2024.
The majority of households across the continent use gas stoves to cook, so what can be done? Click on to learn all about it.
A study by the Jaume I University in Spain found that gas stoves cause 40,000 deaths each year in Europe by emitting harmful pollutants.
To have an idea of how serious this is, gas stoves actually kill twice as many people as car crashes in Europe.
The pollutants released through gas stoves contaminate the air and affect respiratory health over time.
According to the study, the use of gas stoves reduces a person’s life expectancy by two years.
Despite the dangers, there is no public awareness about this. “The extent of the problem is far worse than we thought,” said Juana María Delgado-Saborit, from the environmental health research lab at Jaume I University in Spain.
According to the study, 36,031 early deaths each year are attributed to gas cookers in the EU.
Researchers also attributed a further 3,928 deaths in the UK to pollutants emitted by gas stoves.
Estimates are however conservative. This is because only the effects of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) are taken into account.
This means that the effects of being exposed to gasses such as benzene and carbon monoxide are not considered.
“Way back in 1978, we first learned that NO2 pollution is many times greater in kitchens using gas than electric cookers, but only now are we able to put a number on the amount of lives being cut short,” explained Delgado-Saborit.
Gas stoves are widely used in the EU with one in three households cooking with gas.
In countries such as Italy, the Netherlands, Hungary, and Romania, the percentage of use is over 60%.
In the UK, at least 54% of households cook with gas stoves.
Researchers measured air quality in homes where gas stoves were used to find out how much indoor air pollution they caused.
They then calculated the ratios between indoor and outdoor air pollution. The scientists from Jaume I University and the University of Valencia then mapped indoor exposure to NO2.
The risk rates of disease based on studies on outdoor NO2 pollution allowed them to calculate the number of deaths.
“The main uncertainty is whether the risk of dying found with outdoor NO2 from mainly traffic can be applied to indoor NO2 from gas cooking, but it is a fair assumption and required for the assessment,” said Steffen Loft, an air pollution expert at the University of Copenhagen.
A similar study conducted in May 2024 in the US found that gas stoves cause up to 19,000 adult deaths per year.
The EU recently updated outdoor air quality standards, but it still has no regulations for indoor air quality.
The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) has called for a phase-out of gas cookers. The EPHS urged policymakers to do more.
This would be done by setting emissions limits, subsidizing cleaner stove options, and labeling gas stoves with warnings.
These measures aim to help people make informed choices about cooking appliances.
“For too long it has been easy to dismiss the dangers of gas cookers,” said Sara Bertucci from the EPHA.
“Like cigarettes, people didn’t think much of the health impacts – and, like cigarettes, gas cookers are a little fire that fills our home with pollution,” she added.
People can make an effort to reduce fume exposure by opening windows and using extractor fans while cooking.
But while good ventilation helps minimize indoor pollution, it does not eliminate the problem. The switch to electric hobs may be the way to go.
According to Delgado-Saborit, electric hobs are “cleaner, safer, and healthier” than gas stoves.
Potentially, all these deaths could have been prevented if cleaner alternatives had been used.
Sources: (The Guardian) (Science.org) (Universitat Jaume I)
How pollutants from gas stoves kill 40,000 Europeans each year
Gas stoves kill twice as many people as car crashes in Europe
HEALTH Air quality
A recent report revealed that gas stoves contribute to 40,000 deaths annually across Europe. Harmful pollutants released into the air have been found to cause a number of illnesses and have an impact on average lifespan. The study, titled 'Assessment of the health impacts and costs associated with indoor nitrogen dioxide exposure related to gas cooking in the European Union and the United Kingdom,' was conducted by the Jaume I University in Spain and published on October 28, 2024.
The majority of households across the continent use gas stoves to cook, so what can be done? Click on to learn all about it.