Kitchens

KITCHENS

The most critical appliance to consider is your stove. It is time to replace your gas stove with induction. Here’s why:

  • The EPA defines hazardous air pollutants here
  • Unburned gas leaking from kitchen stoves contains at least 21 hazardous air pollutants. More here.
  • Stanford report finds that gas-burning stoves in kitchen leak significant amounts of planet-warming methane. More here.
  • Children in homes with gas stoves have a 42% higher likelihood of experiencing asthma symptoms. More here.
  • The Case for Induction Cooking from the New York Times.
  • An induction stove is a better idea for the planet and for air quality. More hereHere. And, here

CURRENT NEWS

Senate adds language blocking gas stove ban to appropriations bill

By Rachel Frazin 07/14/23
Language blocking a ban on gas stoves has been incorporated into a bipartisan Senate appropriations bill, giving it a significant chance to ultimately become law.
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Gas industry knew about indoor pollution from stoves 50 years ago, investigation reveals

By Lottie Limb 07/03/23
The American Gas Association was aware about health concerns in the early 1970s, rediscovered documents show. The gas industry has known that its stoves could be harmful to human health for more than 50 years,…
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Illinois to sue EPA over standards for residential wood-burning stoves

By Associated Press 07/03/23
Attorneys general from 10 states plan to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, saying its failure to review and ensure emissions standards for residential wood-burning stoves has allowed the continued sale of appliances that could…
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Study Compares Gas Stove Pollution to Second-Hand Smoke

By Hiroko Tabuchi 06/17/23
Cooking on a gas stove can emit a higher level of carcinogenic benzene than what’s seen in second-hand cigarette smoke, with the pollution spreading throughout the home and lingering long after the stove is switched…
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As the gas vs. electric stove debate is heating up — one crucial option is getting left out

By Mila Dyson 06/07/23
Stoves are in the news a lot right now, as scientific studies show that gas stoves are bad for people’s respiratory health, causing one in eight childhood asthma cases across the U.S.
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Gas stove debate boils over in Congress this week

By Scott Macfarlane 06/06/23
Days after a rare bipartisan moment in which Congress voted to avert a debt ceiling crisis, a fierce and politically charged debate begins this week over the future of gas-fueled stoves in American homes.
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Testing New York Apartments: How Dirty Is That Gas Stove, Really?

By Hiroko Tabuchi 05/30/23
Every morning, as millions of Americans light up the gas stoves in their kitchens to heat some water or griddle their hash browns, they aren’t just sending delicious breakfast smells wafting through their homes. The…
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N.Y. ditches gas stoves, fossil fuels in new buildings in first statewide ban in U.S.

By Anna Phillips 05/03/23
New York has become the first state in the nation to pass a law banning natural gas and other fossil fuels in most new buildings, a move that could help reshape how Americans heat and…
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New York becomes the first state to ban natural gas stoves and furnaces in most new buildings

By Rachel Ramirez and Ella Nilsen 05/03/23
New York is the first state in the country to ban natural gas and other fossil fuels in most new buildings – a major win for climate advocates, but a move that could spark pushback…
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Insight Weekly: Utilities face headwinds; S&P 500 dividend hikes likely; dollar poised for rally

By Sarah Cottle 05/02/23
In this edition of Insight Weekly, we take a close look at the earnings forecasts for global utilities in the first quarter of 2023. Analysts expect few US multi-utilities to report year-over-year earnings growth as…
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New York poised to pass first statewide law banning natural gas in new buildings

By Emma Newburger 05/02/23
New York is poised to become the first state in the country to pass a law banning fossil fuel combustion in most new buildings, getting rid of gas stoves, furnaces and propane heating in favor…
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Why Induction Stoves Are Better For You And The Environment

04/28/23
Induction stovetops are an energy-efficient alternative to traditional gas stoves.
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KEY RESOURCES

​Electric Kitchens Experts

01/23/23
At K2L our mission is to: ELEVATE the electric kitchens conversation, ENGAGE stakeholders with today's inspiring cooking options and, FACILITATE the adoption of kitchen electrification for performance, people and planet.

Home is Where the Pipeline Ends: Characterization of Volatile Organic Compounds Present in Natural Gas at the Point of the Residential End User

06/28/22
The presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in unprocessed natural gas (NG) is well documented; however, the degree to which VOCs are present in NG at the point of end use is largely uncharacterized. We…

Gas Stoves Leak Planet-Warming Methane, Harm Health

01/27/22
Forgetting to add salt while cooking needn’t be one of your main worries anymore. A new study from Stanford University finds that gas-burning stoves in kitchens leak significant amounts of methane from pipes, hoses, and…

What are Hazardous Air Pollutants?

01/05/22
Hazardous air pollutants, also known as toxic air pollutants or air toxics, are those pollutants that are known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects, such as reproductive effects or birth defects,…

Gas Stoves Taking a Toll on Our Health

05/05/20
Gas stoves are likely exposing tens of millions of Americans to air pollution levels that would be illegal if they were outside, according to a new report. The report, compiled by the Rocky Mountain Institute,…

MORE NEWS

Why Induction Stoves Might Be the Best Option for Your Kitchen

By Susan Hogan   04/27/23  
After decades of the gas vs. electric stove debate, there might be a new it-appliance in town. Experts say the induction stove is more efficient and heats up food faster. News4’s Susan Hogan reports.
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Court throws out Berkeley, California’s ban on natural gas

04/18/23  
A federal appeals court on Monday overturned Berkeley, California’s first-in-the-nation ban on natural gas in new construction, agreeing with restaurant owners who argued the city bypassed federal energy regulations when it approved the ordinance.
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The Bay Area is going electric for furnaces and water heaters

By Maxine Joselow and Vanessa Montalbano   03/16/23  
Bay Area officials voted to adopt landmark rules phasing out gas appliances. Yesterday, officials in the San Francisco Bay Area approved the nation’s first rules phasing out new natural-gas-powered water heaters and furnaces.
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Gas stoves pose health risks. Are gas furnaces and other appliances safe to use?

By Sarah Wesseler   03/09/23  
Poor air quality is a long-standing problem in Los Angeles, where the first major outbreak of smog during World War II was so intense that some residents thought the city had been attacked by chemical…
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The Biggest Winner of the Gas Stove Fight Is Induction Ranges

By Aaron Gell   03/09/23  
While culture warriors and foodies panic over their favorite kitchen appliance, the induction range is still waiting for America to fall in love.
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How do induction stoves work?

By Attabey Rodríguez Benítez   03/07/23  
Some 110 million U.S. households use a range–or cooktop and oven–for cooking. About two-thirds of those are powered by electricity, while one-third use natural gas or other fuels.
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Does the restaurant kitchen of the future run on electricity?

By Devra First   02/25/23  
At Rifrullo Cafe in Brookline, the house-made bread, spelt scones, apple tarts, and lemon yogurt cake taste as delicious as ever. But these days, they’re baked in an electric oven. When chef-owner Colleen Suhanosky needed…
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It’s not about gas stoves

02/15/23  
The recent kerfuffle over gas stoves isn’t about gas stoves. If you’re not up to speed on the issue, it began when Richard Trumka, Jr., who sits on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, was…
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Indoor Pollutant Concentrations Are Significantly Lower in Homes Without a Gas Stove, Nonprofit Finds

By Delaney Dryfoos and Victoria St. Martin   02/14/23  
One day in April 2019, Ángela Norales, a public housing tenant at 1471 Watson Ave. in the Bronx, went to the hospital complaining of shortness of breath. When she arrived, her doctors told her she…
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I Want to Switch to an Electric Stove. Can the Board Stop Me?

By Ronda Kaysen   02/11/23  
Quitting gas makes sense for the environment and your health, but not all buildings are equipped to go electric....
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Washing machines and fridges could be much cheaper to power by 2027

By Steven Mufson   02/10/23  
Rules proposed by the U.S. Department of Energy are projected to reduce emissions and save consumers billions of dollars.
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California declared war on natural gas. Now the fight is going national

By Sammy Roth   02/09/23  
In July 2019, elected officials in the Bay Area city, a national leader in progressive politics and environmental protection, voted to ban gas hookups in most new homes. That meant no gas furnaces, boilers or…
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In the Fight Over Gas Stoves, Meet the Industry’s Go-To Scientist

By Hiroko Tabuchi   01/29/23  
Longstanding research shows the health dangers of gas-burning ranges. Utilities are turning to Julie Goodman, a toxicologist with a firm whose work raises questions about the science....
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‘I use it because it’s better’: why chefs are embracing the electric stove

By Whitney Bauck   01/29/23  
The evidence that gas stoves are bad for human health has grown so staggering over the last few years that the US Consumer Product Safety Commission recently announced that it would consider banning the appliances.…
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US renters have growing worries over gas stoves – and few options

By Aliya Uteuova   01/27/23  
New research has revealed the extent of indoor air pollution caused by gas stoves. Switching to alternatives like electric or induction stoves is the best way to reduce the health risk of burning fossil fuels…
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Video: I measured pollution from my gas stove. There was a lot of it

By Michael Thomas   01/27/23  
Want to know how bad your gas stove really is? Put air-quality monitors in your home and then talk through your findings with an air-quality expert.
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Meet the man who unwittingly triggered the war over gas stoves

By Maxine Joselow   01/26/23  
Until he became an unwitting flash point in the nation’s culture wars, Richard Trumka Jr. was little known to most Americans, despite being the son of a famous labor leader.
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The gas stove culture war, explained

By Dharna Noor   01/19/23  
A common household appliance has sparked the nation’s latest culture war. Gas stoves were deemed dangerous in a slew of recent studies, fueling chatter about a potential ban and turning the appliances into a patriotic…
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Why gas stoves actually matter

By Emily Atkin   01/19/23  
In last week’s HEATED chat, paid subscribers and I were discussing (what else?) gas stoves, when a reader chimed in to express frustration. “I yearn for the day when gas stoves are one of the…
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Gas stove talk gets weird

01/19/23  
Scientists have been calling attention to the health risks associated with gas stoves since the 1970s. But a new study prodded a government agency to take notice—and a piece of click-bait journalism triggered an unnecessary…
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I Hate to Say It, but We Should Ban Gas Stoves

By Molly Taft   01/18/23  
I have something to admit: I’m not a fan of induction ranges. I know, I know, a climate reporter not being totally sold on electric stoves. It’s actually due entirely to the limits of my…
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I bought an induction stove. Then the power went out.

By Tove Danovich   01/18/23  
I had been touting the benefits of my new induction stove to all my friends since I switched from gas about a year ago. Water boiled in minutes. I didn’t have to worry about the…
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Are gas stoves really dangerous? What we know about the science

By Brian Kahn   01/15/23  
Gas stoves are a hot topic. A new study linked them to one in eight childhood asthma cases, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said it would look into banning them, and Republicans expressed anger…
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May the Best Stove Win

By Jacob Stern   01/14/23  
Somehow, in a few short days, gas stoves have gone from a thing that some people cook with to, depending on your politics, either a child-poisoning death machine or a treasured piece of national patrimony.…
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Chef Alison Roman loves her induction stove. Twitter has so many questions

By Catherine Boudreau   01/14/23  
Electric-induction stoves got celebrity-chef endorsements following a controversy over gas stoves. nduction stoves are popular in Europe, but unfamiliar to many Americans. "Can you toast marshmallows over it for s'mores?" ADVERTISING "How do you warm…
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What the right’s gas stove freakout was really about

By Alex Guillén and Ben Lefebvre   01/14/23  
No, President Joe Biden isn’t coming for your gas stove. Republicans and conservative pundits have spent the past week nonetheless expressing alarm about the fate of Americans’ ranges and cooktops — in line with previous…
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Push to phase out gas stoves over health concerns met with online anger

By Matthew Smith   01/14/23  
The push to electrify kitchens is not new. Scientists have sounded the alarm on the dangers of gas stoves for years. In the mid-80s, the EPA directed the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to…
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This is all the gas industry’s fault

By Emily Atkin   01/14/23  
It can be hard to fully appreciate the effect that fossil fuel industry marketing has had on shaping American culture and values—and thus how difficult it can be to undo its conditioning. But in the…
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About That Gas Stove

By Somini Sengupta   01/13/23  
My grandmother in India cooked for many years with coal, then with a tank of liquid petroleum gas. As a child in California, I lived in an apartment with an electric stove, then in a…
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Can induction stoves convince home cooks to give up gas?

By Sarah Wesseler   01/13/23  
Induction stoves offer major benefits over gas, but home cooks face barriers in making the switch. The post Can induction stoves convince home cooks to give up gas? appeared first on Yale Climate Connections. ...
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The Dumbest Reactions to the Non-Existent Gas Stove Ban

By Lauren Leffer   01/13/23  
A swift turnaround from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission gave the media whiplash earlier this week. On Monday, a commissioner from the watchdog agency, Richard Trumka Jr., indicated CPSC was considering new restrictions on…
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U.S. regulators hinted at a possible ban on gas stoves. The debate boiled over

By John McCracken   01/12/23  
Seemingly overnight, the gas stove in nearly one of three homes in the country became an appliance of controversy, bringing possible comparisons to cigarettes on one side and accusations of government overreach on the other.
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Induction Cooktops and Ranges Are So Good You May Not Miss Your Gas Appliance

By Paul Hope   01/12/23  
Gas cooktops and ranges have had a rough couple of years. They have been the de facto choice for chefs and serious home cooks for decades. But the recent flurry of reports on the potential…
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Right’s new fight: Gas stoves

By Matt Phillips and Andrew Freedman   01/12/23  
Despite official insistence that fears of a ban are unfounded, conservatives are suddenly championing gas stoves in a new culture war. Why it matters: Mounting scientific evidence points to a link between a higher risk…
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The gas stove regulation uproar, explained

By Rebecca Leber   01/11/23  
When the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced in mid-December it would consider its first-ever health regulations on gas stoves, it was the start of what will be a very long journey to any…
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Are Gas Stoves Unsafe? Here’s What to Know About the Gas vs. Induction Debate

By Ali Francis   01/11/23  
On Monday, US Consumer Product Safety Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. told Bloomberg that the federal agency would consider a nationwide ban on the installation of new gas stoves—or at least, a new set of standards…
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Biden administration say it has no plans to ban gas stoves, despite air quality concerns

By Amanda Drane   01/11/23  
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is reviewing ways it can mitigate the hazards posed by gas stoves but has no plans to ban them, the commission chairman said Wednesday.
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The new soldiers in propane’s fight against climate action: television stars

By Hiroko Tabuchi   01/11/23  
An industry group is spending millions of dollars to push back against efforts to move heating away from oil and gas....
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U.S. agency examines secret pollution from gas stoves

By Shannon Osaka   01/10/23  
For years, scientists and health advocates have tried to bring attention to a secret source of air pollution sitting in 40 million homes around the United States — which jump-starts childhood asthma, increases the risk…
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US Safety Agency to Consider Ban on Gas Stoves Amid Health Fears

By Ari Natter   01/09/23  
A federal agency says a ban on gas stoves is on the table amid rising concern about harmful indoor air pollutants emitted by the appliances.
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Gas stoves are contributing to childhood asthma in Massachusetts, study finds

By Dharna Noor   01/05/23  
Gas stoves are responsible for 15.4 percent of childhood asthma cases in Massachusetts, suggesting the Commonwealth could avoid more than one in seven childhood asthma cases by getting rid of the appliances, a new peer-reviewed…
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Population Attributable Fraction of Gas Stoves and Childhood Asthma in the United States

By Talor Gruenwald and others   12/21/22  
Indoor gas stove use for cooking is associated with an increased risk of current asthma among children and is prevalent in 35% of households in the United States (US). The population-level implications of gas cooking…
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Consumer safety board to weigh regulations on gas stoves

By Rachel Frazin   12/14/22  
The U.S. agency in charge of making sure the country’s consumer products are safe will weigh regulations on new gas stoves, one of the board’s commissioners said on Wednesday.
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The 4 best induction cooktops, with recommendations from chefs

By Hannah Selinger   12/13/22  
If you've been hearing and wondering about the term "induction cooktop" in appliance circles lately, you aren't alone. Induction cooktops are newly popular in kitchens across the country. They use electromagnetic energy to conduct heat…
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Reducing Emissions from Your Dishwasher

By Gemma Alexander   11/14/22  
Americans’ energy use has changed a lot since the days when a kitchen full of appliances was a symbol of success rather than just, you know, a kitchen. Although transportation is the biggest component of…
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BRIEFING NOTE: Why getting off methane gas is right for communities

10/24/22  
The growing SAFE Cities movement of local governments working to stop the expansion of all types of fossil fuel infrastructure. This includes building electrification, especially in new buildings, in the US and Canada.
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Even when off, gas stoves can leak benzene

By Gianna Melillo   10/20/22  
Leaks of unburned gas from stoves can contain benzene concentrations comparable to secondhand tobacco smoke, according to new research from PSE Healthy Energy. The indoor leaks of benzene, a carcinogen, and other hazardous air pollutants…
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California moves to ban natural gas furnaces, heaters by 2030

By Joerg Sarbach   09/23/22  
California is moving to become the first U.S. state to phase out gas-fueled furnaces and water heaters in homes. Los Angeles and several other California cities have passed bans on a wider range of natural…
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What’s the true cost of an induction stove?

By Shannon Osaka and Others   09/07/22  
For decades, cooking with a gas stove has been seen as the fanciest and most enjoyable way to cook. But are we really better off with natural gas? Climate experts and professional chefs alike say…
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Benzene with your bisque? New studies highlight the dangers of ‘cooking with gas’

By Will Humble and Others   08/11/22  
It looks so benign sitting there in your kitchen. Gleaming stainless steel, or maybe a classic matte black. Grates framing an emotionally appealing orange-blue flame. Your gas stove. But new research suggests you may be…
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