Understand the risks of gas

Q: What’s all this noise about how dangerous gas stove fumes are — especially for children’s health? Do I really have to switch to an electric stove? — Mary T., Chicago

A: Gas stoves are common in some urban areas — 73% of households use them in New York City; 80% in L.A. Overall, they are in 35% of U.S. households, mine included.

Recently, several studies highlighted the health hazards associated with the off-gassing that happens not only when the stoves are being used but even when they are turned off.

It appears that the stoves emit nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, benzene, formaldehyde, methane and fine particulate matter — all potentially harmful to your health. And in multifamily homes and apartments that use gas stoves, nitrogen dioxide levels are significantly higher than in single-family homes.

What are the risks? Well, according to a meta-study published in The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health that looked at available data, around 13% of childhood asthma cases can be linked to the use of gas stoves — but it’s 21% in your home state of Illinois. Adults’ lung health can be affected, too.

The level of various pollutants from the gas stove depends on the stove, the size of your kitchen, available ventilation and your neighbors.

So what can you do to mitigate the risks to your kids and you?

First, you can make sure there is good ventilation in the kitchen — from an open window and/or stove-top fan or exhaust fan/vent (although that alone doesn’t do the trick). Air filters that use both HEPA and carbon filters are effective when near the stove — and if that’s too expensive, the University of Michigan Health has a video on how to make your own: “Build a do-it-yourself air purifier for about $25.”

What am I doing? Improving ventilation more consistently, spending more time in a far-away room when on the computer and, yes, using an air purifier in the kitchen if further studies confirm it’s effective.