Colorado residents looking for straightforward health information in the appliance aisle have hit a legal roadblock.
What's happening?
In late December, a federal judge in Denver put Colorado's new gas-stove warning-label law on hold indefinitely, stopping enforcement of the health disclosure rule aimed at protecting residents from poor indoor air quality.
According to the Colorado General Assembly's bill summary of HB25-1161, retailers needed to include a yellow adhesive label on gas stoves with the text "understand the air quality implications of having an indoor gas stove."
Additionally, it required a QR code that linked to more information from the government about the potential risks of burning fuels inside your home.
The air quality implications of burning gas indoors are real and potentially severe, especially if kitchens aren't properly ventilated. Many leaks occur even when the stoves are turned off, and they can contain chemicals like benzene, which are linked to blood cancers like leukemia.
The judge's order blocked HB25-1161 from being enforced until it fully moves through the appeals process. The law took effect on August 6 and carried penalties of up to $20,000 for each violation.
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U.S. District Court Judge S. Kato Crews said that the law may violate the First Amendment rights of gas stove sellers, per the Colorado Sun.
What's the response?
The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, an industry trade group that initially challenged the law, declared victory after the ruling.
"This ruling allows our industry to continue focusing on innovation, safety, energy efficiency, and consumer choice without being subjected to state-level mandates," the group wrote in a statement.
The Colorado General Assembly members who advocated for the law initially also responded to the ruling.
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"This bill discloses facts, and the appliance industry doesn't like facts," Representative Alex Valdez, one of HB25-1161's lead sponsors, wrote in a strong defense of the law, per The Colorado Sun.
"If you know their product is killing you, which this law requires, you will buy better products. At the end of the day that's all these people care about is money, not you or your family. Their morals are as toxic as the pollution they want forced into your home without disclosure."
For now, retailers do not have to display state-mandated labels directing customers to information about the indoor air implications of gas-fueled stoves.
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