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Gas Stove Makers Quietly Delete Air Pollution Warnings as They Fight Mandatory Health Labels (grist.org) 153

Posted by msmash from the how-about-that dept.
The home appliance industry would like you to believe that gas-burning stoves are not a risk to your health -- and several companies that make the devices are scrambling to erase their prior acknowledgements that they are. From a report: That claim is at the heart of a lawsuit the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers has filed against the state of Colorado to stop it from requiring natural gas stoves, which burn methane, to carry health labels not unlike those on every pack of cigarettes. "Understand the air quality implications of having an indoor gas stove," the warning would read.

The law was to take effect August 5 but is now on hold, and state officials did not respond to a request for comment. In its federal lawsuit, the Association -- whose board includes representatives of LG Electronics, BSH Home Appliance Corp. (which makes Bosch appliances), Whirlpool, and Samsung Electronics -- asserts that the labeling requirement is "unconstitutional compelled speech" and illegal under the First Amendment. It calls the legislation a climate law disguised as a health law and, most strikingly, it claims there is "no association between gas stoves and adverse health outcomes."

Gas Stove Makers Quietly Delete Air Pollution Warnings as They Fight Mandatory Health Labels More | Reply

Gas Stove Makers Quietly Delete Air Pollution Warnings as They Fight Mandatory Health Labels

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  • For those getting pitchforks ready (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ArchieBunker ( 132337 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @09:14AM (#65665516)

    I'll explain. New home or apartment construction is more air tight than it used to be and companies cheap out and don't install real exhaust vents over stoves. Just a fan and a cheap filter. Now what happens when you burn hydrocarbons in an enclosed space? You get byproducts that tend to be harmful to air breathers. See this article for more info. https://www.scientificamerican... [scientificamerican.com]

    For those still angry, let me tell you about the miracle of induction cooking. If the three Michelin star restaurant French Laundry can use induction, so can you.

    • Re:For those getting pitchforks ready (Score:4, Informative)

      by PDXNerd ( 654900 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @09:29AM (#65665566)

      I love my induction and won't go back, I can make my coffee in my mokapot in 2 minutes flat and subsidize the cost with solar and still cook a fine hollandaise or use a wok.
       
      If you have a gas stove and think there's no pollution, I recommend you get a cheap air quality detection that does PM and TVOC and etc and then tell us there's no pollution.

      • Re:For those getting pitchforks ready (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Wrath0fb0b ( 302444 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @09:46AM (#65665614)

        I love my induction too, but you need an externally-venting range hood anyway.

        Take your cheap air quality detector and sear a steak on your induction without the fan on.

        • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

          by PDXNerd ( 654900 )

          When you cook something at high temperatures you let off particulate.
           
          The point is you are putting off less in an enclosed area if you're not burning hydrocarbon based fuel, or are you saying something different that I'm not understanding?

          • What I'm saying is that a minimal safe setup anyways requires an externally-ventilated hood regardless of the cooking fuel type.

            Given that this is not mandated by building codes as it is, it's silly to mandate electric over gas. Neither of them are safe without external ventilation.

        • I think the idea here is that yeah it's bad to breathe in cooking fumes even the stuff coming off what you're cooking but it's still better to reduce those fumes by not using gas unless you have proper ventilation.

          • I suppose it depends on whether you want a comprehensive solution.

            Switching to electric without also providing external ventilation doesn't solve the problem. Adding external ventilation to a gas range does, and still allows switching to electric in the future for even further gains.

            In this sense "don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good" doesn't tell you which of the two imperfect solutions is better -- but I'm making the claim that the proper ordering from best to worst is electric + ventilation

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by dstwins ( 167742 )
          Correction, you don't NEEEEDDDD it , but its certainly a highly recommended item to have because it addresses smoke/fumes/odors/etc... But most homes do not have an externally venting hood..(there is no legal requirement to have one)

          • Correction, you don't NEEEEDDDD it , but its certainly a highly recommended item to have because it addresses smoke/fumes/odors/etc... But most homes do not have an externally venting hood..(there is no legal requirement to have one)

            That must be a local/by state code because I can't think of any home I've ever been in that didn't have one. Even mobile homes have 'em here.

            • In San Diego, none of my apartments or my condo had one. I have seen them in condos and houses before but never in an apartment. Maybe in older buildings, though my 1970s rental has no HVAC or range exhaust and it's a top floor unit, so it's very doable but wasn't done.

              My building is also all electric with no natural gas yet my last several places had both nat gas and electric. I know California is making it harder, if not impossible, to get a natural gas line on new construction or remodels, so the long ru

              • They want us to be unable to live autonomously and independently. And they will advance this on several fronts with several topics. It all comes down to one aspect: if X is increasing your independence from the state, the council, the "brigade", then X will be slowly but surely phased out.

          • If you have gas appliances and no venting - welcome to the worl of oxygen deprivation.

      • Flat bottom pans, certainly, but I'm still not convinced you can properly use a proper wok on an induction hob.
      • Coffee in a moka pot takes 3 minutes on an electric stove ...

        • Re: (Score:3)

          by Potor ( 658520 )

          I do it in that or less on my gas stove, and I need to use a smaller flame to match the pot size.

          On my my list of worries, death by gas stove emissions is pretty low.

          • Re: (Score:3)

            by SirSlud ( 67381 )

            The issue with health concerns like this is that it's not like it explodes and kills you - there's really no way to say, "It was the molecule on March 13, 2026 that started cancer in your body"

            You can't even do that with cigarettes - you can only make a conclusion on cause that's well supported by circumstantial evidence.

            And I'm not saying you're arguing against it, but just broadly speaking ... arguing *against* more information - unless the argument is that the information itself is inaccurate - seems par

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Potor ( 658520 )
              Life is a fatal illness. I know the facts as reported so far. I've prioritized my survival strategy. I prefer the versatility of the gas flame.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by bperkins ( 12056 )

      New home or apartment construction is more air tight than it used to be and companies cheap out and don't install real exhaust vents over stoves.

      I've heard this touted as the reasoning, and it seems plausible at first glance, but I don't that better ventilation is going to make a significant difference for the following reasons:
      1) In my personal experience, people tend to only turn on vents when what they are cooking is smelly or smoky in some way. The hazards as I understand them are from the burning met

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by DarkOx ( 621550 )

        1) A lot places require an if the lights are on the fan is on or even an always-on bathroom fan exchaust fan ducted outside now. You could easily require appliances to have a relay to trigger the hood fan.

        2) Ok study it, we pay taxes, this one seems like a useful activity. Sure there will be some extremist that object because there always is but I can't really imagine even the more right-leaning political operators would mount a whole lot opposition to investigating the safety of appliances found in just

    • If you have induction, how do you feel about the sound of the range? I still have an ancient gas burner (though I did install a good ventilation fan), but when I've cooked on an induction stove elsewhere, it both made an annoying high-pitched squeal (think old CRTs but louder) and had fan noises kicking on and off. It annoyed the crap out of me.

      I don't want to get another gas burner, and technologically induction does seem like the clear winner, but the noise thing is really throwing me off. What's your exp

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by caseih ( 160668 )

        My only experience with induction is at the house of a family member, but I've never noticed any sound like that coming from their range. I used to be able to hear CRTs, but perhaps I've lost that part of my hearing in middle age. Not sure; haven't been around CRTs in a long time. But I have a really annoying USB wall adapter that I can hear whining.

      • Re: For those getting pitchforks ready (Score:4, Funny)

        by Nebulo ( 29412 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @10:18AM (#65665694)

        I've heard the squeals. In my experience, they can happen if the bottom of the pan isn't flat to the cooking surface. Sometimes, merely reorienting the pan or slightly adjusting the power level will make it stop. Once, a metal spoon was the problem and removing it was the trick.

        However, also in my experience, the squealing is very, very rare. Perhaps you've just been unlucky in hearing it so often. ðY

      • I love my induction. It 'clicks' on high but who cares? I'm cooking stuff is sizziling and things are making noise. The control over the heat is amazing, the bridging is great. I can boil water faster than anything. I'm never going back.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by mspohr ( 589790 )

        Standalone induction burners tend to have fan noise.
        My (GE Cafe) induction range has only a very quiet fan that only comes on occasionally and no squeal.

      • On my LG induction range, it's not a problem at all. And I say that as someone who is very sensitive to noise and was worried about that too. But it turns out, the induction is quieter than the gas it replaced. It the overhead fan is on, you mostly can't hear it at all. It's that quiet.

        I've heard this can be more of a problem on the very cheap ones. If you're concerned, go to an appliance store that sells the model you're looking at and get them to turn it on so you can hear it for yourself.

      • I don't want to get another gas burner, and technologically induction does seem like the clear winner, but the noise thing is really throwing me off. What's your experience?

        I have one of those el cheapo single burner induction cookers that I mostly use for taco night. It does make a bit of an annoying whine on top of the fan noise. I just turn the TV up louder.

        Yeah, I do have a normal range too, but it's the standard sort of resistive element flat top stoves that are miserable to cook on. Don't have gas and can't justify the cost of replacing it with an induction range, so I mostly just use it for boiling water cooking tasks - such as making pasta.

      • It is somewhat annoying, but bearable. Some of the squeals only happen when max or close to max power is requested from multiple burners at the same time, but that doesn't happen too often.
        What does annoy me a lot about my specific one is that its timer beeps for a whole minute instead of a few seconds like my old one did.

    • real exhaust vents

      I'll do you one better. In many parts of the world actual exhaust vents in the kitchen preclude you from having a high energy rating as it is air replacement without heat exchange. In many parts of the cold world which cares about home efficiency, you will have a recirculating range with a carbon filter. The only exhaust happens with central air handling in the house via a heat exchanger, and that typically triggers on CO2 and moisture, not on PM2.5, VOC, or NO2.

      In many cases people need to manually crank u

    • You get byproducts that tend to be harmful to air breathers.

      I'd been trying to quit my air addiction and switch to traditional water breathing, but now I'm finding out that water breathers like coral aren't going to survive a warmer planet.

    • Exhaust fans aren't nearly enough [yaleclimat...ctions.org]. Even opening all the windows while you cook isn't enough, because a large part of the pollution comes from leaking methane while it isn't in use.

      And I agree, induction is amazing.

    • I was a âoegive me gas, or give me deathâ kind of guy until I picked up an induction cooktop for my sailboat.

      That thing is amazing. The only thing it really falls down at is where you want to go low and slow. But thatâ(TM)s probably more to do with it being a cheap plug in unit rather than the technology itself.

      Unfortunately, running the 30A circuit for a full sized unit in my condo is virtually impossible. Also, induction doesnâ(TM)t help with baking tasks.

    • It should still be vented outdoors, if only to handle the smells. Expelling hydrocarbons is a bonus. And, no... I am no chef, so comparing my cooking to the French Laundry is unfair.

  • Sigh. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ledow ( 319597 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @09:15AM (#65665518) Homepage

    No, no, that's fine.

    You've just testified before a court of law that there are no adverse health effects. Noted. You all stand by that statement, right?

    Because then when the lawsuits start to fly, not only can you be charged with whatever charge it would be, we can add perjury to the list too.

    https://www.theguardian.com/en... [theguardian.com]

  • Safety reasons (Score:4, Interesting)

    by NotEmmanuelGoldstein ( 6423622 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @09:16AM (#65665528)
    Gas stoves/ovens are being banned around the world, to prevent houses catching fire. It's a very rare event but electric heating is much less dangerous. This means everyone needs a portable gas-stove or barbecue stove (and lamp) for the stormy/windy season.
    • Anytime you make heat you can have a fire. Given that the overwhelming number of Americans would rather die than cook, I doubt cooktops, ovens, and ranges are causing a significant number of fires. Me? I prefer cooking on electric coils but I also have a gas range, and it's fine.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by caseih ( 160668 )

        While technically true, the odds of any fires started by induction ranges is orders of magnitude smaller than even conventional electric ranges. In fact in terms of general family safety and being burned by the stove when it is turned off, induction ranges are the only way to go.

        That said, I have a gas range presently and have no plans to replace it anytime soon.

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by redmid17 ( 1217076 )

        Anytime you make heat you can have a fire. Given that the overwhelming number of Americans would rather die than cook, I doubt cooktops, ovens, and ranges are causing a significant number of fires. Me? I prefer cooking on electric coils but I also have a gas range, and it's fine.

        "Cooking caused an average of 158,400 reported home structure fires per year (44 percent of all reported home fires in the US). These fires resulted in an average of 470 civilian deaths (18 percent of all home fire deaths) and 4,150 civilian injuries (42 percent of all reported home fire injuries) annually. Ranges or cooktops were involved in 53 percent of the reported home cooking fires, 88 percent of cooking fire deaths, and 74 percent of cooking fire injuries. Households with electric ranges had a highe

        • households with electric ranges had a higher risk of cooking fires and associated losses than those with gas ranges

          Because electric ranges are in homes that are less expensive, and therefore more likely to be made of flammable materials and less likely to have working smoke detectors and other fire suppression devices (such as fire extinguishers)? I don't know if this is the reason, but there are often a broad range of factors associated with a fire and the extent of damage caused by a fire.

      • Re:Safety reasons (Score:5, Informative)

        by FictionPimp ( 712802 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @11:16AM (#65665896) Homepage

        My aunt went on vaction. Her cat turned on the electric stove and it burned her house down. I have an iduction range. If you turn it on it will "search" for metal and if none is found in 30 seconds it turns itself off. No heat generated. Just some magnets cycling.

        • I simply switch the circuit off when I go away.

        • My aunt went on vaction. Her cat turned on the electric stove and it burned her house down.

          Did the cat survive?

        • Came here to ask about your aunt's cat. Also to tell my story. One day I came back from work to a strong smell of gas, and it was the cat who had turned on the gas stove (one of the four buttons is kind of defective, too easy to turn). Nothing wrong happened though as natural gas moves up and the ventilation was generally good.

          When entering home, as my brain was still processing the smell information, I by reflex turned on the lights and just scared myself about that stupid mistake. Had I not upgraded from

          • I'm glad that wasn't more disasturous. Sadly the cat in this story did not survive and the home was a total loss.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by necro81 ( 917438 )

      Gas stoves/ovens are being banned around the world, to prevent houses catching fire.

      That is a worthy, but ultimately small, side benefit. (There's also eliminating the risk of explosions [wikipedia.org], which seems pretty obvious.)

      The real benefits are, as this article points out, not having methane in your indoor air, nor the byproducts of indoor combustion (CO2, NOx, and - especially if the combustion is poor and incomplete - CO and soot). And before the nay-sayers crow "those are all the result of shoddy insta

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by Tx ( 96709 )

      It's a very rare event but electric heating is much less dangerous.

      You might think that. However, from this Home cooking fires [nfpa.org] report, Ranges or cooktops were involved in 53 percent of the reported home cooking fires, 88 percent of cooking fire deaths, and 74 percent of cooking fire injuries. Households with electric ranges had a higher risk of cooking fires and associated losses than those with gas ranges.

      I just found that with a quick search, so I haven't read the report in detail to look into nuances or

      • That's an interesting link, thank you.
        The "nuances or causal factors" do show up -- somewhat -- farther down that report:

        It is sometimes less obvious when an electric burner is turned on or is still hot than it is with gas burners. In addition, once turned off, it takes time for an electric burner to cool. UL 858, Household Electric Ranges, which took effect in June of 2018, includes requirements for electric coil ranges to prevent the ignition of cooking oil. Compliance may be demonstrated by either not igniting cooking oil in a cast iron pan or keeping the average temperature of the inside bottom surface of the pan below or equal to 725F (385C). All electrical coil ranges being manufactured now must meet these requirements. Because ranges last a long time, it could be years before these safer ranges become common in US homes.

      • I can believe that with traditional electric ranges. But induction should mitigate all off that. A boil over of oil will hit no heat source to ignite. There are no elements to hold heat like electric coils. Without a pan no heat is generated if they are turned or left on. So I'd believe in terms of risk it could be electric, gas, induction in that order.

    • Gas stoves/ovens are being banned around the world, to prevent houses catching fire.

      Errr no. Can you cite an example of a place that has banned gas stoves due to fire risk specifically? I've never heard of that. It's mentioned occasionally as a side note, but I know plenty of places that are banning gas stoves for several other reasons:
      a) policy to eliminate gas use.
      b) reduction in CO2 emissions (electrification + greening of the grid).
      c) health.

    • This means everyone needs a portable gas-stove or barbecue stove (and lamp) for the stormy/windy season.

      You can actually build a simple alcohol stove from two soda cans and a penny. Of course, the silly thing is that a quart of denatured alcohol sells for about $10 at the local hardware store. So, you may as well just spend the $20 it costs to get a proper camping stove from Walmart instead.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by G00F ( 241765 )

      I would love to get rid of my gas range/oven, but $$, and even would love induction, but more $$$$, and I would have to replace all but 1 of my cookware, I don't think even my stainless set, which doesn't attract a magnet.

      Oh, and I have to open windows as my microwave above doesn't vent to outside. Wonder how much my plans and merv 12 filters help...

  • How about spend the money that would be spent on lawyers, legalfights etc and put out those canadian wildfires? Seeing the often hazy horizon, they're turning rural areas into smoggy inner cities. The pm2.5 and 10 are sometimes concerning.

    Digressing, If anything these stoves should have carbon monoxide warnings, right? "Air pollution" ?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by PDXNerd ( 654900 )

      Its actually nitrogen dioxide that is the biggest polluter from gas stoves, though I'm sure it depends on both the purity of the gas and your stove.

  • I definitely can't imagine any issues running a functional market economy under the theory that the first amendment allows you to make or conceal any claim you like about a product.
    • You are referring to the market failure known as information asymmetry. [wikipedia.org]

    • First amendment has long been held to not apply to commercial speech the way it does to other speech.

  • When Europe had a gas shortage because of Russia, suddenly, natural gas was he devil. Here in California, Pacific Gas & Explosion cannot seem to handle gas, or electricity without killing people.

  • No 1st amendment (Score:3)

    by smooth wombat ( 796938 ) on Wednesday September 17, 2025 @10:50AM (#65665790) Journal

    This is no different than requiring the manufacturer to include a warning about the stove tipping over if there is no anti-tipping bracket installed. Consumers are being warned of the issue.

    If they're going to whine about this, might as well whine about every other warning they are required to provide with their product.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by pz ( 113803 )

      This is no different than requiring the manufacturer to include a warning about the stove tipping over if there is no anti-tipping bracket installed. Consumers are being warned of the issue.

      If they're going to whine about this, might as well whine about every other warning they are required to provide with their product.

      Ah, my favorite among such is the warning from a hair drier I bought some years ago. It said: "do not use while sleeping."

  • Maybe we need warning labels on houses that are so air-tight that they do not offer adequate ventilation for comubustion by-products of gas stoves. To be posted at front and back doors.

    • Maybe we need warning labels on houses that are so air-tight that they do not offer adequate ventilation for combustion by-products of gas stoves. To be posted at front and back doors.

      Should that be true of restaurants also?

      Generally, if building passed the building codes at the time it was built, it need not meet new standards. The alternative would be to tear-down a lot of existing structures to meet current code. And the owners of those structures would have to pay for all that.

      I've seen some very old (usually post WW2 to early 50s) gas stoves that are still working to spec in older homes And those kitchens usually do not have forced air exhaust vents.

      Caveat Emptor: You know you do

  • Most people don't freak out about going to a barbecue or a campfire. Use a fume hood.

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