Gas stoves pose health risks

The ED Edwards coal-fired power plant in Bartonville has been associated with high asthma rates in Peoria’s Southside neighborhood for years, but poor indoor air quality polluted with nitrogen dioxide from gas stoves, water heaters and stoves could also be responsible.

A court settlement called for the Edwards plant to close by the end of 2022, but there are no legal restrictions on gas appliances in homes in the Peoria area. Research linking gas stoves to health problems is abundant, but the public is largely ignorant of the health risks.

A January editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine recommended that no new permits be granted for residential or commercial connections for natural gas and that all new gas appliances be withdrawn from the market.

A number of California communities have already banned natural gas connections for all new buildings.

Gas stoves, water heaters, and stoves have been researched to release nitrogen dioxide, which is linked to asthma, chronic breathing problems, lower IQ, and learning deficits.

Carl Cannon, chairman of the board of directors of the Peoria Housing Authority, said he was reviewing recent research on natural gas appliances and poor air quality linked to childhood asthma. Most PHA units have electrical appliances, but Cannon said those units that still have gas may have federal funding to convert to electricity.

“This is a new administration in Washington. That administration can be receptive, ”Cannon said. “If we do something here with positive results, we will share it nationwide” with other public housing authorities.

Cannon said he would be grateful to study this research prior to rebuilding Taft Homes worth $ 47 million. The PHA board of directors plans to hire an advisor to oversee the reconstruction and Cannon would like gas assessment to be part of that oversight.

Brady Seals of the RMI (formerly Rocky Mountain Institute) has researched cook stoves in Nigeria and the problems of cooking wood and charcoal indoors. She was skeptical when she turned to researching indoor gas stoves a year ago.

“Clean Natural Gas” is an industry buzzword, but Seals has found research for 50 years documenting health problems with gas stoves.

“The research is clear. It’s convincing, ”she said. “The information has been buried for 50 years. We have to sound the alarm now. Gas is bad for the climate and bad for your health. “

In Illinois, 2 out of 3 households cook on gas and 4 out of 5 households heat on gas, according to RMI research.

Indoor air pollution from gas is an even bigger problem for public housing and people living in older, poorer areas as the units are small and other health risks exacerbate the factors. People can supplement the warmth with their gas stoves even in winter.

“If a child already has asthma, exposure to a gas stove makes them even more vulnerable,” said Seals.

RMI focuses on decision-makers and public policy. If cost is cited as a reason not to switch from gas to electricity, Seals says the opposite is true.

“All electrical devices are cheaper for everyone. The research clearly confirms that new homes should be all electric, ”she said, noting that Medicaid would more than make up for the amount it pays to treat asthma by running a gas-to-electricity payment program sets up.

RMI calculates that asthma costs $ 80 billion annually. An electric range can only cost $ 400.

“It’s amazing that we burn fossil fuels with an open flame in our homes! Future generations will look back in shock, ”said Seals.

People spend 90 percent of their time inside, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t monitor air quality. So the best solution is to ban gas connections for new buildings, Seals said.

Intermediate solutions are to operate an outwardly ventilated extractor hood, open the kitchen window while cooking and only use the rear burners.

In response to a request from Community Word, Jim Chilsen of the Citizens Utility Board made a statement:

“The growing evidence that natural gas appliances cause unhealthy indoor air pollution should be a concern of all consumer advocates. In Illinois, where most households are heated with natural gas, it is important that we look closely and raise awareness about this problem. CUB has growing concerns about the affordability, reliability, and environmental impact of natural gas. This is another reason the state needs to start moving away from fossil fuels and switching to 100 percent clean, reliable, and affordable energy. ”

“The science is clear,” said Mark Kresowik, director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign. “Burning gas in houses, especially from stoves, increases harmful air pollution. Especially now (during a pandemic) when we are spending so much more time in our homes. “

Another problem for the communities named by Kresowik is weathering, which tightens houses and can trap harmful indoor air. There has been a gas pipeline explosion every five days for the past few years, he said.

In Chicago, CUB is opposed to charging gas pipeline modernization fees, which will have to close within decades due to total bans on the burning of all fossil fuels.

“The gas industry is powerful and tells a narrative that is inconsistent with reality,” said Kresowik.

According to Seals, the public information campaign promoting “clean natural gas” can be compared to the issue of smoking and the public denial of addiction by the tobacco industry.

“Build tight, ventilate properly” is a slogan that Todd Abercrombie likes to quote. He is the owner of EverGreen Home Energy in Peoria and would like to see at least a building code that requires exhaust fans to ventilate to the outside. However, the ultimate goal should be to completely remove fossil fuels.

“If a pediatrician diagnoses asthma, it would be nice if the cause of the problem was diagnosed,” said Abercrombie.

His company conducts what is known as a healthy home analysis, which examines air quality, ventilation, mold, and insulation, among other things. In addition to the vents in the kitchen and bathroom, there should be an all-home ventilation system.

“This problem is not as well known as it should be, but the conversation is getting louder,” he said.

Dr. Kiran Valpula, assistant professor of cancer biology and pharmacology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, said research that concludes that gas burning affects air quality is solid and should be followed.

In the New England Journal of Medicine editorial by Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, Dr. Howard Frumkin and Dr. Brita E. Lundberg states: “As doctors deeply concerned about climate change and pollution and its consequences, we are The expansion of the natural gas infrastructure poses a serious threat to human health. ”

The American Gas Association posted a post on its website denying the value of the San Francisco Board of Directors’ ban on natural gas in new construction as it will increase energy costs with little reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The article claims that a comprehensive study has shown that the power grid is dependent on electricity from natural gas, so that the system-wide gas consumption remains constant for all electrical houses. The association did not respond to an email asking about indoor air quality and gas appliances.

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