A federal agency is considering a ban on gas stoves, a source of indoor pollution linked to childhood asthma.
In an interview with
Bloomberg, a US Consumer Product Safety commissioner said gas stove usage is a “hidden hazard.”
“Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned,” agency commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. told Bloomberg. The report said the agency plans “to take action” to address the indoor pollution caused by stoves.
The CPSC has been considering action on gas stoves for months. Trumka
recommended in October that the CPSC seek public comment on the hazards associated with gas stoves. The pollutants have been linked to asthma and worsening respiratory conditions.
A December 2022 study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that indoor gas stove usage is associated with an increased risk of current asthma among children. The study found that almost 13% of current childhood asthma in the US is attributable to gas stove use.
Trumka told Bloomberg the agency plans to open public comment on gas stove hazards. Options besides a ban include “setting standards on emissions from the appliances.”
The White House on Wednesday asserted that President Joe Biden does not support a ban on gas stoves after a federal consumer safety official suggested that such a proposal was on the table.
The White House response follows a recent
Bloomberg interview with Biden-appointed US Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr., who called the household appliance a “hidden hazard” and said that “any option is on the table” in relations to regulating them.
“Products that can’t be made safe can be banned,” he added. Besides a ban, other options include “setting standards on emissions from the appliances,” Trumka said.