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Health Risks of Cooking With Gas

Over the last decade there have been a number of reports from press organizations around the world stating that the fumes given off by cooking with gas may have a harmful effect on human lung cells. The particles of pollution produced when the natural gas is burned seemed to have an inflammatory effect when passed over lung cells in a lab in the United Kingdom. This could translate into breathing problems for people who already have respiratory ailments or kids, the studies have concluded.

  1. British Debate

    • Research on fumes from gas stoves affecting the lung cells was conducted by two universities in Scotland and published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine. The study, reported by the BBC in 2001, found that the pollution particles from gas caused lung cells in a laboratory to be more susceptible to inflammation. However, much more research needs to be done before labs feel comfortable dissuading consumers. Certain government officials are considering pushing codes for kitchens that cook with gas stoves in the country to have better ventilation, as the gas and food fumes may pose a health risk. But British Gas says they are convinced that the fuel is safe to use as long as it is installed and used properly.

    Hong Kong Findings

    • Chinese researchers said in 2004 that gas cooking in China made kids exposed to it twice as likely to get asthma. The findings were based on research done with parents of 426 children who were 6 or under living in an area with high environmental pollution. Of children who ate meals cooked with gas, 26 percent had developed respiratory illnesses. According to the study, children coming from households where gas meals were cooked two to three times per day were six times more likely to develop respiratory illnesses.

    More Studies

    • More studies are currently being conducted on this, but there isn't enough evidence to really support these theories. The report from Hong Kong concerning asthma didn't isolate the cause as gas stove cooking. There are well-documented high levels of pollution and poverty in China, and these could be contributing factors to children contracting respiratory illness. And the Scottish study doesn't do enough to support the findings, as the only clear conclusion was that Chinese women working in kitchens with gas had respiratory problems--which may have been due to bad ventilation or the fumes from the food itself. U.S. medical studies on health risks attributed to cooking with gas have found little to nothing substantial, beyond the dangers of gas leaks and possible gas explosions during cooking. Until more studies are done on cooking with gas, it is impossible to conclude that it is harmful.

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