Cooking on natural gas stoves is an under-recognized and important source of indoor air pollution, creating nitrogen dioxide and other compounds. File Photo by Alexis C. Glenn/UPI | License Photo
More than one-third of American households rely on natural gas stoves to prepare their meals.
Burning natural gas generates carbon dioxide, which is the main driver of climate change. But cooking on gas stoves is also an under-recognized and important source of indoor air pollution. Combustion of natural gas creates nitrogen dioxide and other compounds that can irritate the lungs.
People with preexisting respiratory conditions, such as the 28 million Americans with asthma, may be especially susceptible. An analysis of more than 40 studies found a correlation between nitrogen dioxide levels and asthma symptoms.
I am a physician and medical researcher, and my colleagues and I recently completed the first study to examine whether replacing gas stoves with electric stoves can improve asthma symptoms.
How we conducted the study
Our study included 85 adults and children with poorly controlled asthma who lived in homes or apartments with gas stoves. Asthma control was determined from responses to a standard questionnaire that asked about specific asthma symptoms, activity limitations and use of rescue medication such as fast-acting inhalers.
Contractors removed the gas stoves, safely capped the gas lines, installed the necessary electrical outlets and replaced the stoves with electric induction models at no cost to participants. We chose electric induction stoves because they heat up and cool down rapidly, and they are safer and easier to clean than electric coil stoves.
Our research team assessed asthma control based on a questionnaire participants filled out before the stove replacement and again two to three months afterward. We used air quality monitors to measure indoor nitrogen dioxide levels for seven-day periods before and after stove replacement.
From moderate to mild symptoms
The results were striking: Improvements in asthma symptoms following stove change were similar to — or even greater than — those reported in clinical trials of commonly used asthma medications.
On average, participants went from having moderate asthma symptoms to having mild symptoms. Emergency room visits and hospitalizations for asthma fell by 70%. Missed days of work or school because of asthma dropped by about 80%. At the same time, indoor levels of nitrogen dioxide decreased by 70%.
These findings suggest that a relatively simple change in the home — switching from a gas stove to an electric stove — may lead to meaningful improvements in asthma control for people who are struggling with their symptoms.
And though the natural gas industry advertises gas stoves as being better for cooking, participants in our study preferred their electric stoves. Nearly all — 98% — said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their electric induction stove, compared with only 41% who felt that way about their gas stove.
That said, it is worth noting that our study included a relatively small number of participants and followed them for only a few months. The findings may not apply to people with milder asthma symptoms. We also did not include a comparison group that kept their gas stoves.
Potential obstacles
The cost of replacing gas stoves with electric stoves is likely to be a barrier for low-income communities, both in the U.S. and abroad.
In newer American homes, an electric stove and its installation typically costs about $1,500. Most of our study participants lived in homes that were built before 1960, and we spent an average of $7,000 per household to upgrade their electrical systems as part of the study.
But given the potential cost savings from reduced emergency room visits and hospitalizations, it might make sense for governments or health insurers to subsidize the costs of replacing gas stoves with electric ones for patients with poorly controlled asthma.
In developing countries, the high initial cost of new stoves can be a real impediment to switching. Inadequate home wiring and unreliable electrical grids present additional challenges in many places.
But countries with severe air pollution and a high prevalence of lung conditions may find it’s worth the cost.
In Ecuador, one program demonstrated that providing subsidies could help the population transition from gas to electric stoves. From 2015 to 2021, the Ecuadorian government subsidized 750,000 households — one-tenth of all households in the country — to replace their gas stoves with electric induction stoves. Program uptake correlated with declines in hospitalizations for respiratory illnesses.
What patients and physicians can do
Switching stoves is not a cure for asthma and may not help everyone. People with asthma should continue working with their physicians, taking prescribed medications and reducing exposure to other asthma triggers, such as cigarette smoke, dust mites, pollen and viral respiratory infections.
But about 80% of our study participants experienced meaningful improvements. So people with poorly controlled asthma may consider transitioning away from gas stoves, depending on their resources and circumstances, to ease their symptoms.
Physicians may also want to ask asthma patients about the use of gas stoves and educate them about potential harms. And builders, landlords and restaurant owners may want to think about the types of stoves they install, as that may be a consideration for the future buyers, renters and employees who will cook in their kitchens.
Ashwini Sehgal is a professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
