About 50,000 current cases of childhood asthma in the United States are linked to long-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide from gas and propane stoves, according to a study published Friday, May 3, in the journal Science Advancesof which NBC News relays the conclusions.
The Stanford University researchers who conducted it measured nitrogen dioxide inside more than 100 U.S. kitchens when the stoves were on and monitored how the nitrogen dioxide spread through the other parts. They combined the data with figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration on how often people use their stoves, which gave them an estimate of how much exposure people face each year.
Major Source of air pollution in homes
Average annual exposure to nitrogen dioxide from gas and propane stoves in American homes may be close to the limit set by the World Health Organization, scientists say. Gold, note NBC News, we find this type of cookers “in more than 40 million American homes.”
“If you don’t smoke in your home, your gas stove is one of the biggest sources of air pollution in your home”warned Yannai Kashtan, lead author of the study and doctoral student at Stanford’s Doerr School of Sustainability.
