Shannon Van Hoesen, shannon.vanhoesen@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, DC -- The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a recall for thousands of gas ranges due to a serious concern about carbon monoxide poisoning from the oven compartment. This recall underscores the need for CPSC to enact rules to ensure the safety of new gas stoves, an effort that the agency says it is exploring.
Gas stoves have been found to emit dangerous air pollutants inside homes, even while off. A Harvard study found 21 air pollutants that are designated by the EPA as hazardous, including benzene, ethylbenzene and toluene, leaking into homes from unburned gas. Because of pollution from gas appliances, the air we breathe indoors is often more polluted than outdoor air. Ninety percent of all homes have unhealthy levels of NO2 pollution after cooking with gas for an hour. A new report released last week shows gas stove pollution is responsible for 12.7% of childhood asthma.
The ZLINE ranges that were recalled were sold from a number of major national retailers, including Best Buy, Lowe’s, and Home Depot. Despite the fact that gas stoves fill kitchens and homes with hazardous air pollution, a recent report from U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Sierra Club found major retailers were largely failing to warn potential customers of gas stove health concerns – and safety measures that could protect their health. In a survey conducted across 10 states, nearly three-quarters of survey takers were told that gas stove pollution was not a concern, and more than six in 10 were told that ventilation was unnecessary to protect health.
In response, Sierra Club Deputy Director of the Building Electrification campaign Amneh Minkara released the following statement:
“Gas appliances, like stoves, pose serious health risks to consumers. While this recall exposes what can happen when a gas range is faulty, a growing body of research illustrates that these appliances are dangerous even when they are working properly. The CPSC can and should set safety standards for gas stoves and must communicate to the public the risks that exist when you bring a fossil-fuel burning appliance into your home.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.