(2023-01-13) Zvi M On Cooking With Gas

Zvi Mowshowitz: On Cooking With Gas. Research meta-analysis says gas stoves give off unsafe N02 levels and increase risk of childhood asthma by 34% and are responsible for 12.7% of childhood asthma. None of this is new.

the other papers in the meta-analysis have similar features. They tend to show positive correlations between asthma and gas stove exposure, but the effects are a bit noisy and they do not necessarily paint a consistent picture.

As for me, even if the full effect in the meta-analysis was real? I. Do. Not. Care.

I am so done with taking the Nice Things in life and ruining them in the name of marginally better health.

There are those who disagree with my cooking preference for gas stoves. They say that no, you are thinking of the crappy old style electric stoves. That the new electric stoves are super awesome. To which I say, I am happy to disagree, and they can have an electric stove if they so desire.

There are already many places where it is not permitted to put gas stoves in new construction

Some of the usual suspects are of course doing the obvious, and calling on us to ban such stoves more broadly.

I would not underestimate the political impact of such efforts. It sticks with you. It is striking how many people on Twitter are saying ‘gas stoves for life.’

The ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ included a subsidy for switching to electric stoves. That is indeed the correct way to price in an externality or express a preference. It also indicates that yes, there is an ongoing effort to get rid of gas stoves, that may escalate.

None of that means any regulatory action will end up happening. My guess is it won’t any time soon given the degree of backlash.

Emily Oster: Gas Stoves and Asthma

headlines circulated like this one, in the Washington Post: “Gas stove pollution causes 12.7% of childhood asthma.”

If I were redoing my kitchen, I would replace our gas stovetop with induction. Here is a long Consumer Reports discussion of induction cooking

One final note: In the U.S., asthma is much more common in poor children and children of color. Poorly ventilated apartments, possibly with gas cooking, are also more common in those groups. There has already been some discussion of a policy need to ban gas stoves, partially motivated by these reasons.

This overall analysis, though, suggests that factor may be small relative to other factors — including other kinds of air pollution from (say) cars. Addressing these inequalities in health is a crucial issue for policy. Equally crucial, though, is to focus on policies which work. Gas stoves are likely a very small part of the picture.