You may have heard people arguing over electric vehicles versus gas vehicles, but now the debate has come into the kitchen with gas stoves versus electric stoves.

Some recent research has called into question the safety of gas stoves and their detrimental impact on human health as well as the environment.

And as a result, it has led to a lot of headlines and political battles.

But considering I have one in my very own home,

I just wanted to know how bad is it actually for my health and the environment

and what can I or you do about it.

For the sake of clarity,

I'm not gonna be comparing which version of a stove heats or cooks your food the best or most efficient or is the cheapest.

Number one, because I'm a terrible cook and none of those things are going to save me.

And number two, while those things are interesting and can be scientific,

I'm mostly concerned with the health and environmental impacts and don't want to get lost in too many different variables here.

So around 35 to 40% of U.S. households actually use gas stoves and there are basically two ways that they can pollute your home.

The first is obvious when your gas stove is on, it's literally burning gas and there's no smoke free combustion.

The heat that is created can cause nitrogen and oxygen to bond, creating nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide,

both of which are considered toxic gasses and lung irritants and can aggravate existing conditions, particularly in Children.

But it can also emit carbon monoxide, methane, formaldehyde,

and particular matter which decades of research have shown negatively affect our respiratory and cardiovascular systems.

The level of these toxic compounds is so bad, in fact,

that the E.P.A., or Environmental Protection Agency would consider it illegal if it was outside.

Let me restate that clearly.

The emissions that can be produced in your home from your gas stove are so high

that if those levels were recorded outside the E.P.A. would consider it ILLEGAL.

The outdoor safety standards are exceeded within minutes of your gas stove being on.

And while there are regulations in place to lower nitrogen dioxide levels outside,

there are no such regulations or any of oversight on indoor appliances,

meaning the pollution in your home can be several times worse than if you were standing right beside a highway with tons of car traffic or near heavy industry,

And outdoors, at least the fumes disperse and are not so concentrated or confined in your home.

And these fumes and their impact can linger well after your stove is turned off.

But the second way that gas stoves impact our health is actually a little scarier.

Because even when your gas stove isn't running,

research has shown that they can still emit toxic compounds like Benzene, which is a carcinogen,

and trace quantities of 21 other chemicals considered hazardous.

And we're not talking about insignificant amount.

So, the latest research has found that simply having a gas stove in your home that's off can leave levels of benzene as high as if you had a smoker in your home.

In other words, your gas stove is potentially releasing just as much benzene as a cigarette, making them akin to second hand smoke.

And that's when the stove is off.

In fact, the newest research shows that nearly 13% all current cases of childhood asthma in the U.S. are due to the use of gas stoves,

which is comparable to secondhand smoke.

If America didn't have gas stoves, 13% of childhood asthma cases would be prevented.

Now, some people might be saying, what about electric stoves, don't they also release pollutants?

And the truth is, yes.

Some particulate matter does come from electric stoves,

but they're not combusting methane, which means you're not getting products like nitrogen dioxide.

And what about your gas powered furnaces or water heaters?

Well, they typically event pollution directly outside,

but the stove being right in the middle of your kitchen, often isn't even properly vented,

which we'll get to in a minute along with what you can actually do to minimize these impacts.

Before that, I just want to talk about the environmental impact of gas stoves.

After all, you are using a fossil fuel to heat or cook your food.

Researchers found that the methane emissions from gas stoves in the US alone are equal to adding 500,000 cars to the road each year.

Gas combustion in buildings added up is about 12 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions for the U.S.

But it's important to remember that this number includes things like, gas furnaces and boilers, basically all gas usage and buildings.

Ultimately, cooking is a fraction of these methane emissions.

But many municipalities are working towards banning or preventing gas lines being created into new buildings

and helping to subsidize the change from gas appliances and utilities to electric.

Because it's not just your stove that can leak gas.

The gas supply chain leaks methane from start to finish.

Piping in the walls can have leaks and even on its way to your house, it can leak into the atmosphere,

contributing to methane emissions, which are rising globally.

Of course, methane is a way more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide even though it doesn't stay in the atmosphere as long.

And if we want to minimize the impacts of climate change, scientists say we need to leave the majority of fossil fuels, including gas reserves, in the ground.

Now, depending where you live, if you have an electric stove, the energy for cooking may still come from fossil fuels either way,

but the combustion at least happens at a power plant far away from your lungs.

And the hope is over the coming years, more and more power grids will be supported and powered by renewable and emissions free energies.

So now, we come back here and to you wondering, what the fxxk do I do?

Trust me, I feel you.

As this news and research was being released, I started feeling freaked out to just be in my own home.

So what can you actually do if you have a gas stove?

First, you should definitely be using a ventilation system while the gas is going

and a little while after, which a lot of people, including myself, don't do.

The vent will help usher the air pollution outside, which doesn't do much for the environmental problem, but at least protect your lungs.

But one major problem is that not all vent hoods are created equal.

In fact, some are actually not connected to the outside, and instead the fans just recirculating the air indoors, which isn't doing much good.

And some of you may not even have a vent or range hood, in which case, your best option is to open a window or a door to get the air circulating.

Even better, get a fan pushing the indoor air out.

Ultimately, the best solution to this problem is not having a gas stove to begin with,

which is sucks to say because most people are not in the position to get a new appliance,

but it is something that I am seriously considering right now.

When it comes to electric, you have a choice between standard and induction,

both of which will create a safer environment indoors and have a lower impact on the environment.

At the end of the day, it's a bit of a risk calculation.

If you're healthy and have a quality ventilation system or a big kitchen, it may not be your biggest concern,

though it will still impact the environment.

But if you have kids in the home or somebody with a compromised respiratory or cardio vascular system,

it may not be worth having a direct source of pollution in the middle of your home, especially if you can afford the change or are in the market for a new stove.

I hope this video was helpful and not too scary.

At the end of the day, I think it's important we know the reality of the up to date research and science.

And from there, we can start to make educated decisions about our own personal health and the collective health of those around us, including the environment.

Thanks so much for watching.

Make sure you like the video and subscribe if you want to see more.

Otherwise, we'll see you next time for some more science.

Peace.