Are people really still trying to take away gas stoves with wild accusations that they harm your health? Apparently so.
Once again, researchers from Stanford University and the activist group Physicians, Scientists and Engineers for Healthy Energy (PSEHE) have joined forces to target gas stoves in American kitchens. The same duo was behind last year’s similarly flawed study that claimed to link the appliance to higher asthma risk.
While the duo’s most recent attempt is touted as the first nationwide, community-level estimate of residential NO2 exposure, the research fails to produce real evidence linking gas stoves to asthma or other negative health impacts.
We’ve taken a closer look at the study below:
Old data does not reflect current reality
The study leans heavily on NO2 measurements and housing assumptions drawn from datasets dating between 2000 to 2016. As a result, it overlooks higher standards and more efficient appliances in today’s homes.
For example, the Department of Energy finalized efficiency standards in 2024 for gas stoves and other appliances to support emissions reductions. This was the first finalized rule on stove energy performance since the agency first proposed standards in 2016. Although full compliance is required by 2028, the agency estimated at the time 97 percent of gas stoves on the market already met the standards for efficient burners that emit lower NO2 compared to 77 percent of electric stoves.
This is just one example of how relying on cherry-picked data, fails to support a true analysis of present-day indoor emissions and exposure conditions.
Assigning blame first, asking questions later
While assessing outdoor and indoor air pollution, the researchers singled out gas stoves as the main source of NO2, ignoring other contributors like fireplaces, traffic infiltration, and ventilation differences. The study claims gas stoves account for nearly all short-term exceedances of World Health Organization (WHO) and Environmental Protection Agency NO2 benchmarks, but this is based on modeling choices rather than direct measurement. To put it plainly, their conclusion reflects a pre-determined outcome rather than a holistic assessment of indoor NO2 exposure.
The inherent blame on gas stoves is no surprise. PSEHE has coordinated many indoor air quality studies targeting gas appliances and has faced repeated scrutiny for questionable methodology, backtracking, and poor findings. Its founder and senior fellow, Anthony Ingraffea, has publicly described his research as “a form of advocacy,” underscoring that this work is often conducted with a clear policy objective in mind.
In fact, the most recent study explicitly states the research is a targeting tool for electrification:
“Our new exposure estimates provide a more complete picture of NO2 exposures than maps of outdoor NO2 concentrations alone and may help decision-makers prioritize locations for building electrification and ventilation retrofits.”- Kashtan, et Al.
Broader health evidence tells a different story
The health claims in this study overlook key evidence from systematic reviews and large-scale epidemiological research. In 2024, a Lancet Medical Journal study funded by the WHO found no significant link between gas stoves and increased human health risks after examining numerous studies attempting to do so:
“For asthma, no significant increase in risk for children and adults was found for use of gas compared with electricity… We confirmed that that risk of asthma from gas use was potentially exaggerated in studies with no or limited adjustment for confounders versus those with adjustment for at least one key confounder. In addition, our analysis found no significant increase in risk of wheeze (similar in manifestation to asthma) for gas compared with electricity,” – Puzzolo, et Al.
When the most comprehensive and up-to-date evidence is considered, the actual risk posed by gas stoves is far lower than this study implies, revealing a clear disconnect between modeled exposures and real-world health outcomes. What’s even more concerning is this research is touted as a clear indicator to reduce natural gas use while affordability and reliability concerns are dominating policy conversations.
Natural gas remains essential for providing low cost, efficient energy to American households. As PSEHE continues pushing studies to support electrification mandates, consistent evidence shows that such policies would increase prices and strain energy grids – a fact that states across the country are acknowledging as some backtrack on previously passed climate policies. Energy in Depth has highlighted energy-insecure households are already paying more, and building electrification mandates would only increase that burden without achieving the emissions reductions activists often cite as justification.
Bottom Line: PSEHE’s new study is a rinse and repeat of research that already missed the mark. Despite strong evidence showing no link between gas stoves and health risks, authors are trying to spoil the holiday season by scaring consumers from cooking in their own kitchens.
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