GAS EMISSION HAZARDS AND WAYS TO PREVENT IT.
©Adedeji, Adewale H.O.K
People use a variety of heat sources to cook food, including gas, electricity, etcetera. Each of these heat sources can create indoor air pollution during cooking. Natural gas and propane stoves releases carbon monoxide, formaldehyde and other harmful pollutants into the air, which can be toxic to people and pets.
When you use a gas stove, it emits poisonous gases called nitrogen oxides, including nitrogen dioxide, a respiratory irritant thought to trigger asthma.
Spending too much of time in an enclosed kitchen, inhaling these fumes causes Carbon Monoxide to build up in your bloodstream, which can lead to severe tissue damage. When too much carbon monoxide is in the air, your body replaces the oxygen in your red blood cells with carbon monoxide. Carbon Monoxide poisoning is extremely serious and can be life threatening.
High levels of natural gas exposure can cause natural gas poisoning, which is characterized by fatigue, severe headaches, memory problems, loss of concentration, nausea, loss of consciousness, and suffocation.
Moreso, very high levels of carbon monoxide in a pregnant woman can result in problems with a baby's nervous system, or can result in miscarriage or birth defects. This happens at high levels in which a pregnant woman may lose consciousness.
About 12% of childhood asthma cases can be linked to gas stove use, according to a recent study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
“There is a health study showing that gas stoves are bad for our health, and the strongest evidence is on children and children's asthma,” said study co-author Brady Seals, a manager in the carbon-free buildings program at RMI, a nonprofit clean energy group. “By having a gas connection, we are polluting the insides of our homes.”
According to Bloomberg News, United State Lawmakers have asked The manufacturer of this cooking appliances for requiring warning labels, range hoods and performance standards.
HOW TO PREVENT HOUSEHOLD HEALTH FROM A GAS STOVE EMISSION
- Install air-hood vent system.
- Ventilate your kitchen when cooking.
- Open your windows while you cook.
- Use exhaust fans to move the gas emissions to the outdoors. Although this will contribute to outdoor pollution, it does lower exposure to unhealthy air at higher concentrations in confined spaces.
- Use air purifiers – Although they do not remove all pollutants, but they tend to improve indoor air quality.