With recent headlines casting doubt on the safety of gas stoves, you may be questioning your current propane stove or your plans on buying one.
Along with the news headlines, gossip has been rapidly circulating through social media claiming that the federal government will be banning the sale and use of gas stoves, including those powered by propane.
We can address the baseless rumor right away: no one is coming to remove your gas stove. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) simply wishes to obtain insights from you and other members of the public about any potential dangers associated with these stoves. This government agency’s mission is solely focused on ensuring consumer safety, not taking away products that people rely on in their homes each day.
In a January 11 statement, CPSC Chair Alexander Hoehn-Saric said, “I am not looking to ban gas stoves and the CPSC has no proceeding to do so.”
Now, let’s analyze the material that has been disseminated in both traditional and partisan media outlets.
For quite some time now, research has cautioned against the potential dangers of cooking indoors. It doesn’t matter if it’s done on a gas stovetop, electric range or wood-burning stove – all forms of cooking emit particulate matter (PM) into your home’s air.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has elucidated that PM, or particulate matter, are minuscule solids or liquid particles small enough to be inhaled into the lungs and hence lead to serious health repercussions.
For instance, when cooking steak in a pan on the stovetop, smoke is produced while searing which contains particulate matter. Therefore, it’s not healthy to inhale this smoky air. To ensure your kitchen remains a healthy space, indoor air quality specialists encourage the use of range hoods to vent out contaminated particles. If you don’t have one at home, simply open up a window in its vicinity for improved ventilation.
Increasing anxiety has been mounting regarding the amount of methane released from interior natural gas sources in recent years, not just stoves used for cooking. This is a troubling development because methane is an extraordinarily potent greenhouse gas and composes almost all of natural gas content.
But here’s the thing: studies fail to mention that propane is not a greenhouse gas as it does not contain methane!
Here is another example of how failing to differentiate between the two fuels can shape public opinion. The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health released the results from a recent study, finding that 12.7% of today’s pediatric asthma cases are linked to gas stoves.
Once more, the researchers did not contrast propane and natural gas stoves but instead merely stated “gas stoves,” without acknowledging (or perhaps failing to recognize) the differences between propane stoves and natural gas stoves.
With dependable propane delivery and equipment service, you can enjoy the benefits of clean-burning propane in your home! Become a Taylor customer today.