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New research shows that gas stoves are a major cause of childhood asthma in the United States, with nearly one in every eight cases possibly attributable to indoor pollutants emitted by gas stoves.

Source: CBS Boston/YouTube

Cooking with gas stoves creates nitrogen dioxide and releases tiny airborne particles called PM2.5. Both of these can irritate the lungs, and nitrogen dioxide has even been linked to childhood asthma. Two million cases of new childhood asthma due to nitrogen dioxide pollution were reported in 2019.

The findings of the study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, are the latest in recent news that has found how bad gas stoves are for the environment and our health.

The authors of the study estimated that 12.7 percent of childhood asthma cases in the U.S. are caused by gas stoves. The authors added that these numbers are roughly comparable to the asthma risk that is created by secondhand smoke. They found over 20 percent of asthma cases were attributed to gas stoves in Illinois and California, while Florida has 3 percent of cases attributed to gas stoves.

“Our results quantify the U.S. public health burden attributed to gas stove use and childhood asthma,” the authors wrote in their paper.

The authors recommend that more be done to make the stoves safer, such as ensuring proper ventilation in homes, although this will not eliminate the risk.

According to an article by Harvard Health, children living in households that have gas stoves were 42 percent more likely to have asthma, according to an analysis of observational research. Although these studies can not definitively say that the gas stove was the cause of asthma, the data also showed that the higher the level of nitrogen dioxide there was in the house, the more severe the asthma symptoms in children and adults were.

To help minimize your exposure to these pollutants, if you have a gas stove, it is important to open the window while cooking, use exhaust fans, and use air purifiers. While this will release pollutants into the environment and contribute to Pollution, it will be better for your health. When given the choice or when purchasing a new stove, try to avoid gas.

Air Pollution is an invisible killer and has been linked to so many diseases, including fatty liver disease, depression, and other mental health issues, and a study even found that nearly 6 million babies born prematurely in 2019 were likely linked to air pollution. Eating meat has been linked to a rise in air pollution, and factory farms are one of the biggest to blame for our dirty air. According to the WHO, an estimated 4.2 million people every year are killed by outdoor air Pollution, and 99 percent of the global population breathes air that exceeds WHO guideline limits, with low and middle-income areas disproportionately affected. Check out these eco-artists that are using their art to call attention to the massive problem of air Pollution and sign the petition to demand federal clean-up of disproportionately affected polluted areas in the United States.

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