Hood fans that ventilate fumes to the outside could be considered the most important appliance in a kitchen but often get "short shrift," said Brook, adding cheaper versions can be noisy so people tend not to use them. "Everybody needs to pay more attention to ventilation," said Jeff Brook, who leads CHILD's physical environment component and is an associate professor at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health. HOW COULD ANY NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF A GAS STOVE BE PREVENTED? ![]() "If you have the resources, there are several reasons to get rid of a gas stove," said Brauer, who was not involved in the research. But he said that despite much more research into that topicsince then, the overall evidence showing a definitive link remains "murky."īrauer said much of the buzz around gas stoves may be linked to their association with climate change and that may be a better reason to stop using the appliances, which are connected to a supply system that leaks tiny amounts of the greenhouse gas methane. Michael Brauer, a CHILD investigator and professor at the University of British Columbia's School of Population and Public Health, co-wrote a commentary in the Lancet in 1996 about gas stoves and respiratory health. Theo Moraes, another study co-author and head of the division of respiratory medicine at SickKids Hospital in Toronto, said that among the entire cohort of children, a statistical difference in asthma is only seen at age three, not age five, for those living with gas stoves versus electric stoves. "We're looking for gene-environment interaction so we can actually answer those important questions," Subbarao said.ĭr. The researchers are trying to determine whether genetic factors make some children more vulnerable to asthma through exposure to pollutants produced by gas stoves. Researchers said that is as toxic as second-hand smoke.īut multiple factors could contribute to asthma cases, including whether a kitchen lacks a range hood above the gas stove to vent pollution.Ĭhildren participating in the Canadian research were assessed for asthma when they were three years old and again at age five. Gas stoves have become a hot topic after several studiesconnected their use to childhood asthma.Ī meta analysis of various studies published last December in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health suggested 12.7 per cent of childhood asthma cases in the United States are associated with gas stoves. "It really depends on how you use it and the environmental characteristics that you live in." "It shows you that it's not as simple as saying you can't have a gas stove," Subbarao said. That allows pollutants such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides emitted by gas stoves to escape outdoors instead of staying inside and potentially irritating the lungs. She said asthma cases were likely higher in Toronto compared with Vancouver, where they were not statistically significant, because a milder climate in the West Coast city means people tend to open their windows, even in winter. Padmaja Subbarao, a respirologist and study co-author, said 5.5 per cent of children living in a Toronto home with an electric stove were diagnosed with asthma but that jumped to just over 10 per cent at age five for kids whose families used a gas stove. ![]() The overall data in the project allows scientists to track the participants' environment and health, including onset of asthma, obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases over many years.ĭr. The Canadian study, published June 9 in the Canadian Journal of Public Health, was based on questionnaires conducted by the CHILD Cohort Study to collect data on nearly 3,000 children born between 20 in Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Toronto. ![]() WHAT WE CAN GLEAN FROM THE MOST RECENT DATA That echoes similar findings elsewhere, but a study published last year in the United States associating gas stoves with childhood asthma added to the confusion. Researchers acknowledged the findings suggest some health effects with gas stove use, but no direct connection to childhood asthma could be drawn. However, like other recent studies on the issue, the results were inconsistent. A Canadian study suggests an association between household use of gas stoves and a higher risk of asthma in some kids.
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