Is Natural Gas Cooking Safe?
Some organizations and media outlets have raised questions about the impacts of residential natural gas cooking on indoor air quality (IAQ). While electrification advocates are using these reports to drive public policy that would limit or outright ban the use of natural gas, more recent peer-reviewed analysis cautions against a reliance on previously reported meta-analysis risk estimates.
On April 18, 2023, Global Epidemiology published a study titled “Gas Cooking and Respiratory Outcomes in Children: A Systematic Review.” This peer-reviewed analysis of existing research concludes that there is not sufficient evidence or scientific basis to demonstrate causal relationships between gas cooking and indoor NO2 and asthma and wheeze in children.
A Gas Technology Institute Special Report released in Fall of 2022 tested the emissions resulting from cooking with different fuel sources and concluded that “cooking emissions were more a function of the cooking vessel and food product cooked than energy source.”
Recent Articles
RMI admits their report does not demonstrate relationship between gas stoves and asthma (American Gas Association | January 13, 2023)
No ban of gas stoves is planned, head of product safety agency says (Los Angeles Times | January 11, 2023)
- What to know about the study behind the push to ban gas stoves (Washington Examiner | January 11, 2023)
International Studies
Analysis on Recent Studies Circulating by Electrification Proponents
- Issues that Render the Sierra Club/UCLA Study of the Effects of Residential Gas Appliances on Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality and Public Health in California Not Useful for Decision Making Purposes
- Energy In Depth analysis on Stanford Indoor Air Quality study
- AGA Statement on the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Report
- AGA Concerned by Methodology of Study by Gruenwald et al.
- Natural Gas Cooking Safety
FAQs on Natural Gas and Indoor Air Quality
Cascade Natural Gas takes the health and safety of our customers seriously. We strongly encourage the installation of monoxide detectors in buildings with natural gas equipment, and an exhaust for all electric and natural gas ranges, cooktops and ovens to eliminate the normal byproducts of cooking such as steam, smoke, grease and heat. More information can be found on our Safety and Education page.
