Democrats Call for Stronger Oversight of Gas Stove Pollution

Blue flames on a gas stove
Blue flames on a gas stove. The EnergySmart Academy / Flickr
Why you can trust us

Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

Democrats sent a letter to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on Wednesday asking for stronger regulation of gas stoves due to the indoor air pollution and negative health impacts they cause.

Gas stoves can produce dangerous levels of indoor air pollution and even when turned off, can leak significant amounts of heat-trapping methane as well as numerous other toxic and carcinogenic pollutants, including “BTEX” chemicals (​​benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene).

The effort was championed by Senator Corey Booker (N.J.) and Rep. Don Beyer (Va.). “As you know, the CPSC has broad authority under the Consumer Product Safety Act to regulate consumer products that pose an unreasonable risk of injury,” the lawmakers wrote. “We ask the CPSC to explicitly evaluate the disparate health outcomes that occur from the coupling of gas stoves with the material realities to which the most vulnerable Americans are subjected.”

The CPSC  will be soliciting information in the coming months on the dangers posed by gas stoves to human health. Citing the pollution emitted by stoves, Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. said, “We need to be talking about regulating gas stoves,” and called phasing out new gas stoves “a real possibility.”

For a deeper dive:

The Washington Post, (See “On the Hill” after Alaska Native group story), Nexus Media News

For more climate change and clean energy news, you can follow Climate Nexus on Twitter and Facebook, sign up for daily Hot News, and visit their news site, Nexus Media News.

Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

    By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

    Read More

    3M Knew PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Its Firefighting Foams Were Toxic for Decades, Documents Reveal
    For decades, 3M — a multibillion-dollar chemical company based in
    By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
    Nearly One-Third of U.S. Residents Exposed to Dangerous, Unregulated Contaminants in Drinking Water, Analysis Finds
    More than 97 million United States residents have been exposed
    By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
    Microplastics Exposure Linked to Digestive, Reproductive and Respiratory Health Risks
    Microplastics exposure has been linked to multiple health risks, including
    By Paige Bennett

    Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

      By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

      Latest Articles