Gas stove

Many stoves use natural gas to provide heat.

A gas stove is a stove that is fuelled by flammable gas such as natural gas, propane, butane, liquefied petroleum gas or syngas. Before the advent of gas, cooking stoves relied on solid fuels, such as coal or wood. The first gas stoves were developed in the 1820s and a gas stove factory was established in England in 1836. This new cooking technology had the advantage of being easily adjustable and could be turned off when not in use. The gas stove, however, did not become a commercial success until the 1880s, by which time supplies of piped gas were available in cities and large towns in Britain. The stoves became widespread on the European Continent and in the United States in the early 20th century.

Gas stoves became more common when the oven was integrated into the base and the size was reduced to better fit in with the rest of the kitchen furniture. By the 1910s, producers started to enamel their gas stoves for easier cleaning. Ignition of the gas was originally by match and this was followed by the more convenient pilot light. This had the disadvantage of continually consuming gas. The oven still needed to be lit by match and accidentally turning on the gas without igniting it could lead to an explosion. To prevent these types of accidents, oven manufacturers developed and installed a safety valve called a flame failure device for gas hobs (cooktops) and ovens. Most modern gas stoves have electronic ignition, automatic timers for the oven and extractor hoods to remove fumes.

Gas stoves are an indoor common fossil-fuel appliance that contribute significant levels of indoor air pollution,[1][2][3][4] but good ventilation reduces the health risk.[5] They also expose users to pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide, which can trigger respiratory diseases,[6] and have shown an increase in the rates of asthma in children.[3][7][8][9] In June 2023, Stanford researchers found combustion from gas stoves can raise indoor levels of benzene, a potent carcinogen linked to a higher risk of blood cell cancers,[10] to more than that found in secondhand tobacco smoke.[11]

Gas stoves also release methane. Research in 2022 estimated that the methane emissions from gas stoves in the United States were equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of 500,000 cars.[12] About 80% of methane emissions were found to occur even when stoves are turned off, as the result of tiny leaks in gas lines and fittings.[13][14] Although methane contains less carbon than other fuels, gas venting and unintended fugitive emissions throughout the supply chain results in natural gas having a similar carbon footprint to other fossil fuels overall.[15]

  1. ^ "CDC | Facts About Benzene". emergency.cdc.gov. 2019-05-15. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference takecare was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Blum, Dani (11 January 2023). "Gas Stoves Are Tied to Health Concerns. Here's How to Lower Your Risk.- Emissions from gas stoves have been connected to an increased risk for childhood asthma, among other things. You can mitigate the effects with a few simple steps". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  4. ^ American Medical Association (2022). "AMA PolicyFinder - Environmental Health - Gas Stove". American Medical Association. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  5. ^ Niranjan, Ajit (2024-10-28). "Pollutants from gas stoves kill 40,000 Europeans each year, report finds". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  6. ^ Lebel, Eric D; Finnegan, Colin J; Ouyang, Zutao; Jackson, Robert B. (July 17, 2013). "Methane and NOx Emissions from Natural Gas Stoves, Cooktops, and Ovens in Residential Homes". Environmental Science & Technology. 56 (4): 2529–2539. Bibcode:2022EnST...56.2529L. doi:10.1021/acs.est.1c04707. PMID 35081712. They also expose users to pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide, which can trigger respiratory diseases
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference IJER-20221221 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Kill Your Gas Stove". The Atlantic. 15 October 2020.
  9. ^ "Gas Stoves: Health and Air Quality Impacts and Solutions". 2020.
  10. ^ "Study finds combustion from gas stoves can raise indoor levels of chemical linked to a higher risk of blood cell cancers". news.stanford.edu. 2023-06-16. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT-20230617 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference cars was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Lebel, Eric D.; Finnegan, Colin J.; Ouyang, Zutao; Jackson, Robert B. (2022-02-15). "Methane and NO x Emissions from Natural Gas Stoves, Cooktops, and Ovens in Residential Homes". Environmental Science & Technology. 56 (4): 2529–2539. Bibcode:2022EnST...56.2529L. doi:10.1021/acs.est.1c04707. ISSN 0013-936X. PMID 35081712. S2CID 246296077.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference off was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Natural gas is a much 'dirtier' energy source, carbon-wise, than we thought". Science. 2020-02-19. Archived from the original on February 18, 2021. Retrieved 2022-04-03.