Ohio residents report fewer hospital visits after replacing gas stoves with electric models

In an Ohio-based study, people with poorly controlled asthma said their symptoms eased substantially after switching from gas to electric stoves.

Here's what to know

The study took place in Cleveland, where Case Western Reserve University community health researcher Ashwini Sehgal led a program that replaced gas stoves with electric models in households with at least one person with asthma. 

In follow-up questionnaires, 85 participants with poorly controlled asthma reported noticeable symptom improvement, according to Science News.

Published this month in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, the study also found fewer emergency room and hospital visits as well as fewer missed days of work and school among those whose stoves were replaced.

The improvements were greater than Sehgal and his team had anticipated.

"We were really surprised at how large the benefit was," he told Science News.

Backed by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funding during the Biden administration, the project focused on removing an indoor pollution source that is known to aggravate asthma and contribute to a range of other health concerns.

Previous research has also linked the use of gas stoves to the indoor emission of benzene, a carcinogen.

More background

The pollutant at the center of the concern is nitrogen dioxide, or NO2, which gas burners and ovens emit when they are lit. During heating, steaming, or frying, measurements near a gas stove can rise into the hundreds of parts per billion, surpassing the EPA's one-hour outdoor air quality standard of 100 parts per billion.

NO2 exposure is associated with worsening asthma symptoms. Studies in children have linked the pollutant to more wheezing, coughing, and asthma attacks, highlighting the kitchen as a key site for families trying to address the condition.

Accounts from the Cleveland project put those results into human terms. 

Sehgal said a 36-year-old man who had previously struggled to walk uphill and play with his children later described the improvement as "magical," according to Science News. 

A 38-year-old woman also told the team that cooking on her gas stove made her feel as if her throat were closing, and that sensation disappeared after she switched to electric.

Researchers had originally planned to follow 1,200 households for 12 months. That goal was cut back after the Trump administration ended the EPA's Community Change Grants early. This shrunk the study population, but the smaller group still showed significant symptom improvement.

What can be done?

Before committing to a full stove replacement, Sehgal suggested that people with asthma try using an electric hot plate and a toaster oven to see whether avoiding the gas stove improves their symptoms. 

If replacing the stove is not feasible, Laura Paulin, a pulmonologist at Dartmouth Health, told Science News that steps to reduce exposure may still help. Paulin recommended using a kitchen exhaust hood that vents outdoors or opening a window while cooking.

Paulin also said using a HEPA unit with a carbon insert may help remove NO2 and reduce airborne levels. In homes where children have asthma, she advised keeping them out of the kitchen when the stove is in use.

A 2022 analysis suggested that over 12% of childhood asthma cases in the U.S. could be attributed to the use of gas stoves. A 2024 study estimated that 50,000 cases of pediatric asthma in the country could be associated with "long-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide from gas and propane stoves," according to NBC News.

Where can I learn more?

To dig deeper into the health effects of gas cooking and the shift to electric, these articles explore the issue from several angles: 

• In U.S. restaurant kitchens, cooks said gas left them feeling like they were dying.

• Across Australia, homeowners ditched bottled gas for induction and said they would never go back.

• One home cook learned fish can pick up gas fumes from a household oven.

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