I’m a doctor – this common household appliance is making you and your children sick: ‘Get rid of it’
A doctor warns people against using a common household appliance, saying it can lead to acute asthma, increased allergies and even pneumonia.
According to Dr. Ben Ewald, gas stoves are among the most dangerous household appliances today.
The Newcastle-based doctor, who has been practising medicine for 30 years, told FEMAIL people they should think again about having a gas cooker in their home.
Especially if they have children.
“Living with a gas stove is comparable in health terms to living with a smoker,” he warned.
The tiny but harmful nanoparticles, such as nitrogen dioxide, released from the flames are the perfect size to enter your airways and stick in your lungs, causing unwanted irritation.
The health problems are most common in children exposed to gas, but adults and the elderly can also suffer from them.
“There are many causes of asthma, viruses are the most important, but exposure to gas stoves is on that list,” Dr. Ewald said.
Dr Ben Ewald, a GP from Newcastle with 30 years’ experience, said gas cookers could increase the risk of developing asthma (stock image)
‘Nitrogen dioxide is a respiratory irritant produced by the flame. At high concentrations it can be toxic, but even at low concentrations it can trigger asthma.’
The flame also releases formaldehyde, which is also a respiratory irritant, and small amounts of benzene, which is carcinogenic.
Research conducted by the International Journal of Epidemiology Research has shown that children exposed to gas stoves at home are 42 percent more likely to develop asthma and 24 percent more likely to be diagnosed with asthma at some point in their lives.
Victoria, the ACT and several local councils in New South Wales have banned the installation of gas appliances in new homes in a bid to phase out fossil fuels.
According to Asthma AustraliaA whopping 48 percent of Australians use a gas hob for cooking at home and 7 percent regularly use flueless gas heaters during the colder months.
The health problems are more likely to affect children. The tiny but harmful nanoparticles that escaped from the flames are the perfect size to enter your respiratory system and stick to your lungs, causing unwanted irritation (stock image)
Children exposed to gas stoves can also become sensitized to other things, such as dust mites.
What can you do to reduce the risk?
Before replacing your gas stove with an induction hob, there are a number of ways to reduce the risk.
Doctor Ewald advised always opening a door or window before turning on the stove, always using the extractor hood or buying an induction hob.
Induction hobs are also generally cheaper and can bring a pan of water to the boil faster than natural gas hobs.
The Global Cooksafe Coalition (GCC) has also set a goal to promote universal access to safe and sustainable cooking in new kitchens by 2030 and in existing kitchens in both homes and businesses by 2040.
This means cooking without fossil fuels, on electrical appliances that run on renewable energy instead of gas.