Why gas stoves are dangerous for human health?

Despite all the advantages, natural gas remains a source of great danger for people. Moreover, it is not only the fact that it can catch fire or explode if safety rules are not followed, but also seemingly harmless gas stoves, according to a TASS report.

According to a 2023 European study, cooking food with natural gas has the same effect on the development of asthma in children as passive smoking. Some other researchers have also come to a similar conclusion. A large Dutch observational study showed that children living in homes with gas stoves had a 42% increased risk of developing asthma. There are also studies that show that gas stoves and their use account for 13% of all cases of asthma in children. In the United States, it has been reported that around 40,000 premature deaths a year in the UK and the European Union can be linked to the use of gas stoves; this is twice as many as from car accidents.

On average, the use of gas stoves has led to a reduction in people's life expectancy by almost two years. This is mainly due to the combustion products that are produced as a result of natural gas combustion. Thus, American researchers came to the conclusion that the use of just one gas stove increases the concentration of toxic gas benzene in the room, and often because of this, the amount of natural gas in the air no longer meets the standards proposed by the World Health Organization.

However, the dangerous substances that are created during the burning of natural gas do not end there. Another important risk factor is nitrogen dioxide. It belongs to the group of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), also known as Dirty Dozen. The compounds of this group are able to accumulate in the body in fatty tissue, and their half-life in the body lasts about 7 to 11 years. In addition, gas stoves emit formaldehyde and methane—and the latter is released into the air even when the stove is turned off.

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