[HN Gopher] U.S. safety agency to consider ban on gas stoves ami...
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       U.S. safety agency to consider ban on gas stoves amid health fears
        
       Author : jackallis
       Score  : 39 points
       Date   : 2023-01-09 13:45 UTC (9 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.bloomberg.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.bloomberg.com)
        
       | NDizzle wrote:
       | Ahh yes, switch everyone to electric power when everything is
       | going green and the rolling brown/blackouts are spreading across
       | the nation and world.
       | 
       | No thanks, let's keep our gas.
        
       | Someone1234 wrote:
       | The thing I find shocking is how many US homes I've been in that
       | have a gas stove AND "fake" oven hood (essentially it filters and
       | recirculate, instead of venting outside, which does little to
       | nothing for gas fumes).
       | 
       | If they decide against outright banning them, there must be a
       | push during inspection to associate a gas stove with a real oven
       | hood, and ideally some consumer education that: "Gas on, vent fan
       | running" or similar.
       | 
       | If a gas stove was invented today, if you compare it to
       | regulation for other gas appliances (specifically how the fumes
       | are vented), it would almost certainly have an interlock wherein
       | a hood turns itself on to auto-vent outside.
        
         | foobarian wrote:
         | I find it fascinating how different the cooking is in Europe
         | vs. US. at least in my limited experience. I've seen multiple
         | apartments across Italy where the kitchen is a small, separate
         | chamber with a door where the resident will get a skillet red
         | hot, drop a piece of meat on it, and open the window. This
         | would be unthinkable in the US - it would set off every single
         | smoke detector in the house. Maybe it's not cause and effect,
         | but just an emergent state - it's difficult to do this here so
         | on average it doesn't happen? Or people tend to have grills
         | outside for this sort of thing? I don't know.
         | 
         | In our house the stove is located centrally and I dread to
         | think how we could retrofit an exhaust for a true venting hood.
         | All we have is a fake hood with a grease filter above the
         | stove.
        
       | amluto wrote:
       | Sometimes I'm amazed that gas stoves aren't regulated for fire
       | safety much more heavily:
       | 
       | Gas stoves quickly ignite any kindling near the flame. Electric
       | (radiant) stoves can ignore things but it's slower and there's
       | more shouldering first. It's hard to start a fire with induction,
       | _especially_ temperature controlled induction, although the
       | latter is not widely deployed.
       | 
       | A child or careless adult can easily turn a stove on by accident.
       | A gas stove left on is an extreme hazard. An electric stove left
       | on is a mild hazard. An induction stove left on is only a hazard
       | at all if there's cookware on it, and it's the safest of the
       | three.
       | 
       | A gas stove that's on but not burning will release explosive gas.
       | I've never seen one with a credible safety feature to prevent an
       | explosion.
       | 
       | Not to mention:
       | 
       | Gas stoves are incredibly inefficient. Electric is pretty
       | inefficient too. Induction is highly effective.
       | 
       | And gas stoves apparently pollute quite badly. Sure, a good vent
       | will mitigate it, but then you need makeup air to avoid other
       | issues, and you still lose conditioned air.
        
         | LargoLasskhyfv wrote:
         | > especially temperature controlled induction, although the
         | latter is not widely deployed.
         | 
         | What are you talking about? Even the most basic units _are_
         | temperature controlled. How else could they work if you operate
         | them in modes where you tap in the desired temperature, and it
         | shows in the display? I 've never seen any which didn't have
         | that as an option. Since a decade, or so.
        
           | amluto wrote:
           | We're talking about _ranges_ , right?
           | 
           | I've seen the hot pot kind that let you set a temperature in
           | ~20 degree increments are are not particularly accurate. I've
           | seen the Control Freak, which is quite accurate and precise
           | if the pan is appropriate (mostly flat enough in the bottom).
           | There are a few household ranges that talk to Bluetooth
           | sensors. There's the Njori Tempo, which doesn't exist yet.
           | 
           | Beyond that there are bunch of regular induction ranges, on
           | which you set a power level on an arbitrary scale from 1 to
           | 10 or maybe 1 to "boost".
        
             | LargoLasskhyfv wrote:
             | Maybe it's a regional market thing. I speak from a german
             | POV. But I've seen these things appear in the nearer
             | 'neighborhood', since at least a decade. Also mentions in
             | mass media. Even the stuff you call 'range' has these
             | options, in addition to turning knobs with fixed settings.
             | I started with a single 'hot-pot' and that was/is accurate.
             | Still keeping that as a spare. I mean, just look at the
             | stuff Ikea is offering, AFAICT they all have it. If
             | accurate I can't tell, but I've heard no complaints from
             | people I know, who do have them.
             | 
             | So... _shrug_?
        
         | sschueller wrote:
         | Induction is very cool but what sucks is touch flat buttons on
         | the top surface of most induction stove top that either trigger
         | when you spill something or don't trigger when your fingers are
         | wet. Why can't we just keep the knobs that worked for decades
         | and combine that with the new tech?
         | 
         | This is what prevents the "average person" from going with
         | something new when they are in the market for a replacement.
        
           | sbradford26 wrote:
           | There are induction cooktops that have knobs. I believe one
           | of the Frigidaire professional models has knobs on it. I
           | think the main reason why induction cooktops typically don't
           | have buttons is because it allows the surface to be used like
           | more countertop.
           | 
           | Frigidaire Professional Cooktop:
           | https://www.frigidaire.com/Kitchen-
           | Appliances/Cooktops/Induc...
        
           | jimhefferon wrote:
           | We just bought a replacement for a gas stove, out of concern
           | for fumes and some other reasons. When I asked about controls
           | that are not touch buttons I was told that is hard to find.
           | The other point is that induction models were much more
           | expensive (for our choices, 4k vs 1k).
        
             | amluto wrote:
             | This is an unconventional but excellent option:
             | 
             | https://www.breville.com/us/en/products/commercial/cmc850.h
             | t...
        
               | jimhefferon wrote:
               | Thanks for the link. I'll note that this single burner
               | costs half again what our four burners plus oven costs,
               | though. I guess I'm just not that interested. But thank
               | you.
        
         | peteradio wrote:
         | You'd want a vent cooking on any of those ranges.
        
           | amluto wrote:
           | Yes, but you don't have to use it for low temperature
           | cooking.
        
         | endisneigh wrote:
         | Even if you were using electric you need proper ventilation.
         | It's amazing how many people think an electric stove somehow
         | makes a kitchen hood unnecessary.
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | SAI_Peregrinus wrote:
       | A number of people in Buffalo, NY, recently lost power for
       | several days due to a blizzard. The city had to clear snow with
       | front-end loaders and dump trucks, which took about 4 days.
       | Without power, many apartments had no heat (no way to run a
       | blower motor for air heat, electronic control of the boiler, heat
       | pump, or other electric-dependent heating). A number of people
       | were able to survive by heating pots of water on gas stoves and
       | letting it sit to get a bit of heat. Not the use of gas you want
       | to have, but invaluable if it's all you've got!
        
       | neonate wrote:
       | https://archive.md/HkO2p
        
       | lm28469 wrote:
       | God forbid we regulate sodas, cigarettes, junk food though. Those
       | deadly gas stoves are definitely a top priority and a menace to
       | our society !! "health fear" lmao give me a break
        
       | mensetmanusman wrote:
       | Subsidize air-filters as a short/medium term solution, because
       | this also solves the issue of plastic dust being breathed in from
       | all the fabrics, carpets, appliances, couches, rugs, shoes,
       | shirts, etc.
        
         | Someone1234 wrote:
         | PM2.5 Air Filters do not remove the gasses and VOCs released
         | from burning natural gas.
        
           | mensetmanusman wrote:
           | They could incorporate desiccant column subsidy: https://www.
           | clariant.com/en/Solutions/Products/2020/11/09/21....
           | 
           | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221260901.
           | ..
        
         | Scoundreller wrote:
         | As a resident in a newer condo build, I'd just like windows
         | that open more than 2".
         | 
         | I have a corner unit where the windows on one side don't open
         | at all.
         | 
         | I guess it cuts down on their building-wide HVAC expenses by
         | treating the building as airtight and thinking filtration and
         | powered-venting will solve all problems.
        
         | falcolas wrote:
         | Air filters are incapable of filtering out NO2.
        
       | newbee123 wrote:
       | This whole article smells. Trumka has been a union politico most
       | of his career, not a science or health & safety guy. The paper
       | they cite is a meta-study, and it's curious that the meta is
       | inspiring more action than any of the original papers[0]. That,
       | and the primary researcher is from an "environmental" nonprofit
       | (rocky mountain institute) rather than a health & safety one, and
       | the board of this nonprofit consists mostly of private equity &
       | energy guys[1].
       | 
       | [0] https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/1/75
       | 
       | [1] https://rmi.org/about/board-of-trustees/
        
         | giardini wrote:
         | But what does it smell _like_ - Southern BBQ, fish, lobster,
         | shish kebab, etc.? mmmm!
        
           | newbee123 wrote:
           | Smells bad.
           | 
           | Had a similar experience buying an "eco-friendly" crib
           | mattress. "Made with soy", green seal of approval from some
           | eco non-profit. Dig a little deeper, turns out to be made of
           | (flammable, off-gassing, non-biodegradable) polyurethane foam
           | --soybean oil was just the feedstock. Checked out the eco
           | non-profit's website... Turns out everyone on the board is a
           | chemical industry lobbyist.
           | 
           | This natural gas story has the same structure. Fund a non-
           | profit to cherry-pick papers into a new metastudy, bribe a
           | few politicians or an agency head to put the force of law
           | behind it, and as soon as the ball starts rolling, place a
           | few bets, profit.
        
       | mstef wrote:
       | what a coincidence this article was just 4h ago linked here:
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34308734 and is similar
       | policymaker influencing pseudo science conflating correlation and
       | causation...
        
       | smileysteve wrote:
       | I moved into a brand new house of which the only stovetop option
       | was gas, in part because of marketing dollars from our local
       | monopoly granted utility.
       | 
       | Why was induction not an option? And now to upgrade, I'm going to
       | have to have a 240v line installed to the location.
        
         | driverdan wrote:
         | You chose to buy it that way. Why didn't you make installing a
         | 240v plug a concession in the contract?
        
         | mhb wrote:
         | So you should have bought a different house? Or what?
        
         | multiplegeorges wrote:
         | You can definitely get 120v induction cooktops. There's no need
         | for 240v.
        
           | smileysteve wrote:
           | i do have a single burner induction unit, but to have 5 or 6
           | burners you need more watts from 240
        
             | falcolas wrote:
             | Running 5-6 burners concurrently is definitely a bit of a
             | niche case, and would probably justify the higher amperage
             | socket. But it's important to note that it's niche, most
             | folks won't use more than 2.
        
       | Loughla wrote:
       | Two questions:
       | 
       | What about LP ranges, which are pretty common as well?
       | 
       | What about proper ventilation systems instead? Most people have
       | range hoods that vent into the same room (doing nothing but
       | removing the largest particulates). Why not place exterior vents
       | into building codes, instead of eliminating gas ranges?
       | 
       | You'll pry my gas range from my cold, dead hands. Cooking on fire
       | is, for me, just better than cooking on electric.
        
         | ClumsyPilot wrote:
         | > Why not place exterior vents into building codes, instead of
         | eliminating gas ranges?
         | 
         | If you make a law thats says "only allowed gas stoves eith
         | exterior ventillation", you will be 90% of the way to banning
         | them.
         | 
         | The ordinary domestic extractor is not able to get rid of
         | majority of the No2 and other emissions
        
           | jimhefferon wrote:
           | Not what I thought. Can you please provide more information?
        
         | multiplegeorges wrote:
         | Have you tried an induction range? Same power (or more, imo, i
         | was shocked at how quickly I could boil a pot of water) than
         | gas and very small power steps for great and accurate
         | temperature control.
         | 
         | If this ban goes through, I expect induction to take over in
         | the upper range of products. It'll bring the prices WAY down
         | and it'll be much cheaper to get new pots than it is to install
         | a proper outdoor-venting range hood.
        
           | Steltek wrote:
           | Can you recommend a large cast iron griddle that 100% works
           | on induction? That's no joke the biggest sticking point for
           | us right now. The closest we can find is "square frying pan"
           | style. The 2 Lodge griddles are double sided, which isn't
           | guaranteed to work on induction because the bottom surface
           | doesn't sit flush with the glass.
           | 
           | You can't replace pans when there are no induction friendly
           | replacements.
           | 
           | Edit: Edit: Nevermind, I was wrong.
        
             | sbradford26 wrote:
             | Basically any cast iron pan should work. Also the bottom of
             | the pan doesn't need to be perfectly flush with the glass.
             | I know people who leave silicone mats on their induction
             | cooktops while cooking so that their cast iron pans don't
             | scratch the glass
        
               | Steltek wrote:
               | I believe there is a misunderstanding of the problem. The
               | cast iron griddles of concern are "reversible" and can
               | sit higher above the surface, certainly higher than the
               | effect of a silicone mat[1]. Anecdotes from others who
               | have tried this combination show that success can be hit
               | or miss.
               | 
               | No one appears to make a large, flat bottomed cast iron
               | griddle. If I could find such a thing, we would have
               | already bought an induction stove.
               | 
               | I am not worried about my other cast iron pans.
               | 
               | [1]: https://www.lodgecastiron.com/product/double-play-
               | reversible...
        
               | aoeusnth1 wrote:
               | I still don't think that should be a problem. The
               | electric fields will still be picked up by such a wide
               | surface area.
        
               | sbradford26 wrote:
               | Ahhh didn't realize they were reversible like that. Makes
               | sense that those would cause issues.
        
               | SAI_Peregrinus wrote:
               | I tried it just now with a countertop induction hob (I
               | don't normally use it, it's for when I run out of burners
               | on the tiny stove my current apartment has) and a similar
               | reversible griddle[1], and it heats up without issue.
               | Both sides work fine.
               | 
               | [1] https://www.lodgecastiron.com/product/chef-
               | collection-revers...
        
           | peteradio wrote:
           | Induction has major issues with hot spots, if you are boiling
           | water you don't care, otherwise you might.
        
       | thatcherc wrote:
       | Here's another article that seems to be a summary of the
       | Bloomberg article (but without the paywall) - [0]
       | 
       | The ban under consideration seems to be a ban on the _sale_ of
       | new gas stoves, although I don 't think the article actually says
       | that explicitly.
       | 
       | [0] - https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/us-safety-
       | agency-...
        
         | 2devnull wrote:
         | Important clarification.
        
         | Saoshyant wrote:
         | That's usually how these things go. No one is going to
         | everyone's house to remove their stoves, regardless of how
         | accurate the claims of their dangers.
         | 
         | Instead, they abolish the sale of new gas stoves and, as the
         | old ones stop working with age, eventually they disappear
         | altogether.
         | 
         | I believe that's how there's still old buildings with an
         | asbestos treatment or old water pipes made out of lead kind of
         | all over the place. It was widespread at first, then the issues
         | became known, then they were forbidden from being sold, and
         | eventually the existing old ones are replaced as opportunity
         | allows.
        
           | 2devnull wrote:
           | Since low income people don't occupy new construction, and
           | given that gas stoves last for many decades, this is
           | legislation that won't have any impact for another 20 or 30
           | years? Besides the impact on wealthy foodies who want good
           | stovetops in the kitchen remodels?
        
       | dang wrote:
       | Related ongoing thread:
       | 
       |  _I measured the pollution from my gas stove_ -
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34316613 - Jan 2023 (69
       | comments)
       | 
       | Also:
       | 
       |  _Gas stoves are more hazardous than we've been led to believe
       | (2020)_ - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31630946 - June
       | 2022 (122 comments)
       | 
       |  _What a gas stove ban means for restaurants_ -
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31603850 - June 2022 (592
       | comments)
       | 
       |  _My best estimate is gas stoves decrease life expectancy by 53
       | days on average_ - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30275953
       | - Feb 2022 (117 comments)
       | 
       |  _How bad is my gas stove?_ -
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29935939 - Jan 2022 (520
       | comments)
       | 
       |  _Cities try to phase out gas stoves but cooks are pushing back_
       | - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27874912 - July 2021 (481
       | comments)
       | 
       |  _Experts are sounding the alarm about the hidden dangers of gas
       | stoves_ - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25332332 - Dec
       | 2020 (343 comments)
        
       | potbelly83 wrote:
       | Not sure if this has been mentioned, but during the Buffalo
       | blizzards you heard a lot of stories of people using their gas
       | ovens to keep warm as the electric had gone out.
        
       | wankle wrote:
       | "In a letter to the agency in December, lawmakers including
       | Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey and Representative Don Beyer of
       | Virginia, both Democrats, urged action and called gas-stove
       | emissions a "cumulative burden" on Black, Latino and low-income
       | households that disproportionately experience air pollution. "
       | 
       | Most of my life I've live in homes with gas stoves, I'm white,
       | what does race have to do with it? I'd guess > 90% of the
       | entirety of stoves in Texas are gas.
        
         | UtopiaPunk wrote:
         | Here's a different article that links to sources to support the
         | claim: https://www.vox.com/energy-and-
         | environment/2020/5/7/21247602...
         | 
         | ==============
         | 
         | Lower-income households are more likely to have more people
         | living in smaller spaces, with less ventilation. That puts them
         | at greater risk of unsafe NO2 exposure, as does the
         | heartbreaking practice among low-income homeowners, uncovered
         | in several studies, of using their gas stoves as a source of
         | heat to supplement weak or broken furnaces.
         | 
         | Lower-income, African American, and Hispanic children already
         | suffer asthma at higher rates than the national average, mainly
         | because they are more likely to live near sources of outdoor
         | air pollution (like roads and industrial facilities), which
         | makes them more vulnerable to sources of indoor air pollution.
         | Another 2018 study found that asthma costs the US $82 billion a
         | year in "medical expenses, missed work and school days, and
         | deaths," all of which fall disproportionately on the most
         | vulnerable.
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | lastofthemojito wrote:
         | I suppose it's possible to infer that Black and Latino folks in
         | the US tend to be lower-income and thus they tend to live in
         | smaller homes (more inhabitants per sqft) and perhaps thus have
         | worse indoor air quality overall compared to their White or
         | Asian counterparts.
         | 
         | But yeah, I still don't think it's necessary to bring race into
         | it. If your science holds up and gas stoves are significantly
         | linked to childhood asthma, you've got a good argument for
         | phasing them out. If the science doesn't hold up, then you
         | don't.
        
           | derekp7 wrote:
           | But the low income housing is also typically more drafty too,
           | isn't it? So that would lead me to believe that there would
           | be less indoor pollution built up from the range. Unless it
           | is turned on for heating purposes (i.e., boiling a pot of
           | water to get humidity in the air, etc).
        
             | falcolas wrote:
             | Drafts do not move quickly (or evenly). A "drafty house"
             | could still take an hour or more to exchange all that air.
        
         | IIAOPSW wrote:
         | I believe the keyword here was "disproportionately". No one is
         | denying that many white people also own gas stoves or for that
         | matter breath exhaust fumes from a nearby highway or have an
         | unfortunate encounter with a police officer or any number of
         | commonplace societal ills. As a corollary, no one is suggesting
         | to apply a fix to non-whites only.
        
           | 2devnull wrote:
           | How many low income people can afford Viking ranges? They are
           | ubiquitous in wealthier households, at least those with good
           | taste.
        
             | deepsquirrelnet wrote:
             | How many of those have exterior stove vents? Probably a
             | disproportionate number given the installation cost.
        
               | 2devnull wrote:
               | Maybe exterior vents should be required? Does cooking on
               | electric not impact indoor air quality?
        
               | falcolas wrote:
               | Compared to burning gas, no. Burning natural gas produces
               | a lot of byproducts of that combustion - many of which
               | are not healthy for humans in concentrations produced by
               | gas burners - which is why it's a problem.
        
               | Someone1234 wrote:
               | It does. The difference is what they're both
               | contaminating air with. You can improve air quality from
               | cooking food using common PM2.5 filtering (e.g. "fake
               | vent hoods", air purifier, furnace filter, etc).
               | 
               | Natural gas, when burned, releases gas/VOC byproducts
               | that PM2.5 filters cannot remove and while Activated
               | Carbon can remove some of it, it doesn't scale well
               | enough to be a solution (just in terms of cost alone, but
               | also in terms of Activated Carbon's lifecycle).
               | 
               | I'm all for outdoor vents to be clear, even for
               | electric/induction. I'm just pointing out that natural
               | gas cooking has all the same downsides as any other food
               | cooking does but with a whole host of additional ones
               | that are far harder to mitigate.
        
               | 2devnull wrote:
               | Can you quantify this?
               | 
               | And, how does it compare to say water heaters and other
               | sources of indoor gas use?
               | 
               | My understanding is that it's a negligible concern. So
               | I'd love actual numbers if you have them or know where I
               | can find them.
        
               | Someone1234 wrote:
               | > And, how does it compare to say water heaters and other
               | sources of indoor gas use?
               | 
               | They're required to vent outside.
               | 
               | > My understanding is that it's a negligible concern.
               | 
               | You're responding to an article saying that it isn't a
               | negligible concern.
        
               | 2devnull wrote:
               | So no?
        
               | Someone1234 wrote:
               | It doesn't feel like you're trying to have a good faith
               | discussion. There's no point in my restating what the
               | linked article says nor multiple of the other sources
               | provided all throughout this thread.
        
         | westmeal wrote:
         | That sentence made me lose some of my braincells
        
         | throwaway82388 wrote:
         | I'm fairly certain that I've yet to visit an upper middle class
         | household without a high end gas range, albeit hooded. Surely
         | this disproportionally affects the foodies and amateur chefs of
         | the world.
        
           | slowmovintarget wrote:
           | Got to ban it for everyone to be fair.
        
         | yellow9 wrote:
         | [dead]
        
         | tantalor wrote:
         | The point is those communities have higher rates of asthma and
         | pollution exposure, and banning gas stoves (might) reduce it,
         | by reducing the risk for everyone.
         | 
         | That's easier to do than fix the underlying problem that causes
         | that increased asthma risk.
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | nivenkos wrote:
         | The Democrats have to bring race-based politics and IdPol in to
         | everything.
         | 
         | But I think the bigger issue is whether current users even want
         | to make the switch, since gas is often cheaper than
         | electricity.
         | 
         | This slowed down adoption of induction cookers a lot in the UK
         | for example.
        
           | Spivak wrote:
           | You have it backwards. The Dems aren't bringing race into it,
           | they're framing the issue in a way more likely to garner
           | support from their fellow Democrats and base who care about
           | helping marginalized communities.
           | 
           | You see this a lot with Supreme Court cases where the legal
           | teams form their arguments specially to be persuasive to a
           | specific swing judge.
        
             | willcipriano wrote:
             | What's the term for someone who is motivated by putting
             | things into a racial context? A racist?
        
               | Spivak wrote:
               | It's like you tried to find the worst faith
               | interpretation of what I said.
               | 
               | A: You have a group of people who, broadly speaking, are
               | motivated to address systemic racial and economic
               | inequality.
               | 
               | B: You will have better luck getting someone on-board
               | with your piece of legislation if you frame it in the
               | context of an issue they care about.
               | 
               | A + B: Hello senator, this bill I'm proposing about gas
               | ranges will help address systemic racial and economic
               | inequality because...
               | 
               | The idea that you think A is talking about a group of
               | racists is quite literally insane.
        
               | willcipriano wrote:
               | "People are being harmed!"
               | 
               | "Yawn, what color are they?"
               | 
               | "White."
               | 
               | "Oh that's a serious issue then!"
        
             | [deleted]
        
           | derekp7 wrote:
           | I grew up cooking on gas stove. The house I'm in now came
           | with an ancient coil electric range (1979 harvest gold color
           | model). I can't wait to redo the kitchen to put back in a gas
           | stove again.
           | 
           | I also looked into induction, but only my cast iron skillet
           | would work -- the stainless steel cookware I have apparently
           | is the non-magnetic type (a magnet doesn't stick to them) so
           | they won't work with induction.
        
             | nivenkos wrote:
             | Induction is great though, just replace the old stuff.
             | 
             | It's very fast and so much easier to clean. I wouldn't want
             | to go back to gas really.
        
               | slowmovintarget wrote:
               | "Just replace the old stuff" doesn't work very well when
               | all the manufacturers have outsourced to China, which
               | produces unsafe cookware. Eliminating all non-stick
               | cookware to avoid forever chemicals was hard enough.
               | 
               | I'll keep my gas range with real vent hood, thank you.
        
               | Steltek wrote:
               | > Induction is great though, just replace the old stuff.
               | 
               | Not all "old stuff" has an induction compatible
               | replacement. Induction does not work for everyone, even
               | if you're willing to replace all of your pans.
        
         | [deleted]
        
         | spamizbad wrote:
         | I think the operative word is "cumulative" -- there are
         | probably communities where there are other sources of pollution
         | and gas stoves are a layer on top of already bad air quality.
         | 
         | With that said, electric alternatives can be a fire hazard in
         | their own right if the home's electrical is sub-par.
         | 
         | I'm guessing any law just tries to phase them out over time but
         | existing ones are grandfathered in (which means low income
         | families will be at the tail end of the adoption curve)
         | 
         | Overall a good idea but it's going to be like de-leading
         | gasoline it's not going to be some immediate triumph of
         | environmental justice.
        
           | Scoundreller wrote:
           | > electric alternatives can be a fire hazard in their own
           | right if the home's electrical is sub-par.
           | 
           | I guess it's possible, but they're usually on a dedicated
           | circuit and it's incredibly rare for someone to turn all
           | burners on max and preheat the oven simultaneously, and plug
           | something into the accessory socket.
           | 
           | 240V really does solve a lot of problems (and a lot of multi-
           | residential buildings only feed 208V into 240V appliances,
           | effectively derating them).
           | 
           | (All of the above is from the North American perspective of
           | course).
        
       | endisneigh wrote:
       | Classic government overreach.
       | 
       | From the "peer reviewed" research only about 20% of households
       | live in households where the gas stove is used with proper
       | ventilation.
       | 
       | In other words, about 80% of households that have gas stoves use
       | the exhaust improperly or not at all, yet only 13% of childhood
       | asthma is attributed to gas stove. Simple Bayesian reasoning
       | suggests that most of those are because people are not using
       | their exhaust. Even if inductive stoves were used exclusively,
       | cooking food that results in burning without exhaust is bad for
       | you.
       | 
       | Rather than a ridiculously excessive ban, why not just tell
       | people to use their stove and exhaust properly, or have new
       | installations include an automatically turned on exhaust _to the
       | outside of the house_? Monoxide sensors are already a thing smh.
       | 
       | Instead, we'll have a bunch of inductive stoves (which are great,
       | by the way), that are substantially more expensive than their
       | _equivalent_ gas stoves, and the government will continue to
       | lament the small marginal increases in housing year after year
       | after year.
        
         | UtopiaPunk wrote:
         | "Classic government overreach."
         | 
         | Lol, the other side of this political football is republican
         | states banning cities from banning gas stoves.
         | 
         | https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/17/politics/natural-gas-ban-pree...
        
         | multiplegeorges wrote:
         | Surely you can see how induction would become much, much
         | cheaper with mass production and adoption after this ban comes
         | into place.
         | 
         | Cheap to retrofit, no emissions, no fossil fuel use. Induction
         | is pretty much better in all conceivable ways.
        
           | endisneigh wrote:
           | Sure it'll become cheaper, but it still would be more
           | expensive than a gas range. A gas stove is very simple.
           | Furthermore the use of gas heating per the study are in the
           | coldest places - the same places that are using fossil fuels
           | to heat anyway, even with new construction.
           | 
           | This is not to say that we shouldn't move towards induction
           | and heat pumps, but doing this under the guise of safety is
           | disingenuous. The _real_ issue is improper cooking procedure.
           | 
           | If the government wants to encourage emission free heating
           | and cooking they should simply offer rebates, which some
           | counties are beginning to do.
        
             | giardini wrote:
             | And the gas stove still works during hurricanes.
        
           | stefan_ wrote:
           | Induction has already taken over the low budget range. There
           | is no reason to have a gas stove anymore other than inertia
           | and ignorance to the health risks.
        
             | peteradio wrote:
             | > no reason to have a gas stove anymore other than inertia
             | and ignorance to the health risks.
             | 
             | Or preference for a superior cooking experience.
        
               | LargoLasskhyfv wrote:
               | I'd call that BS because imaginary...
        
               | peteradio wrote:
               | My lived experience is imaginary, does that make me
               | imaginary? But I think therefore I am, so I'm not
               | imaginary, yet my lived experience is imaginary. Is this
               | like imaginary numbers where it is really just a poor
               | descriptor for whatever it is you are asserting?
        
               | LargoLasskhyfv wrote:
               | Naa. I know cooking with gas from a long time ago. Also
               | with normal electric stoves. I just think there is
               | nothing better than induction fields ATM. Maybe you had
               | bad ones? It's fast, it enables precise and dynamic
               | control, it doesn't stink, it's easy to clean, and
               | whatnot else. Cooking with gas is an obsolete thing, like
               | computing with punchcards. Maybe your electrical
               | installation is insufficient, or you tried suboptimal(for
               | induction) pans, pots and kettles? Dunno.
               | 
               | Edit: I'm aware of phrases like https://idioms.thefreedic
               | tionary.com/now+we%27re+cooking+wit... btw.
               | 
               | Still makes no sense anymore, except for camping, maybe.
        
           | 2devnull wrote:
           | Will never use one unless I'm forced and I know others who
           | feel the same. Induction are for people who don't cook. So
           | what's the point. You can not cook on the older stoves and
           | save energy used in swapping out for a new appliance. Think
           | if the energy cost in replacing a large fraction of American
           | cooktops, for no good reason.
        
             | thrill wrote:
             | "Induction are for people who don't cook."
             | 
             | Well, that's a bullshit claim.
        
               | 2devnull wrote:
               | It's so well known that it's absurd to even try to argue
               | the point: https://www.thedailymeal.com/cook/5-reasons-
               | top-chefs-prefer...
               | 
               | Watch a cooking show sometime. Better yet, ask an actual
               | chef.
        
           | driverdan wrote:
           | That's the opposite of what would happen. Competition pushes
           | down prices. If gas is eliminated it reduces competition,
           | pushing up demand and prices for induction.
        
           | sbradford26 wrote:
           | I personally am switching from a propane range to a induction
           | cooktop as we speak, but saying induction is cheap to retro
           | fit is definitely a stretch.
           | 
           | My scenario is an unfinished basement below the kitchen and a
           | really short electrical run.
           | 
           | Materials:
           | 
           | Induction Cooktop $900 (We are switching from a range to a
           | cooktop, the cheapest induction range I know of is around
           | $1100)
           | 
           | 25ft 8/3 Romex wire: $153
           | 
           | So over 1k just in materials. I plan on wiring everything
           | myself but if someone is not able to do that probably add
           | another $500 for an electrician to do it. Finally that cost
           | can balloon quickly depending on how accessible the install
           | is and the distance.
        
       | tinglymintyfrsh wrote:
       | Wha?
       | 
       | Chefs will be up in arms.
        
       | notvaxed wrote:
       | This is just more Biden veiled attack on fossil fuels pushing
       | electric stoves and ovens. Fuck the Democrats I just bought a
       | full on wood fired oven and stove from the Amish. My back up
       | being a Propane stove oven and electric once I am fully photo
       | voltaic off the grid.
        
       | birracerveza wrote:
       | What a coincidence that this is being considered only after a war
       | broke out with gas being at the forefront... Not that I mind
       | honestly, it needs to be supplanted asap, but still...
        
         | 2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote:
         | Sneak a gas stove ban past the public when they are angry about
         | high natural gas prices?
        
         | vena wrote:
         | the US doesn't really import natgas.
        
           | birracerveza wrote:
           | The EU does.
        
             | vena wrote:
             | this is a proposed ban for the US.
        
               | birracerveza wrote:
               | Yes, but the EU would immediately follow suit.
        
               | Steltek wrote:
               | The age old story of the EU lagging behind the US in
               | regulation. (snort)
               | 
               | What is the EU marketshare on stoves? As an importer,
               | could EU natgas already have a premium attached that
               | reduces any impact from regulation?
        
             | [deleted]
        
       | steponlego wrote:
       | They'll ban guns, cars, and freedom because of the same fears.
       | Just wait.
        
       | mhb wrote:
       | Last paragraph:
       | 
       | "Ventilation is really where this discussion should be, rather
       | than banning one particular type of technology," said Jill
       | Notini, a vice president with the Washington-based trade group.
       | "Banning one type of a cooking appliance is not going to address
       | the concerns about overall indoor air quality. We may need some
       | behavior change, we may need [people] to turn on their hoods when
       | cooking."
        
         | FiloSottile wrote:
         | Trade groups suggesting personal behavior changes to address
         | systemic issues with the thing they sell are such a standard
         | playbook that I am surprised it still works.
        
           | mhb wrote:
           | So you're saying she's wrong?
        
             | formerly_proven wrote:
             | That's the point, it isn't. Just like reducing your carbon
             | footprint is good for climate change. Is that an effective
             | way of dealing with climate change? No.
        
             | FiloSottile wrote:
             | Yes. I am saying the whole concept of public health and
             | safety (as well as information security) is based on the
             | observation that you can't just "tell people to change a
             | behavior". It's like saying that electrical rules in
             | building codes are overreach, because people can just avoid
             | touching exposed wires.
        
               | mhb wrote:
               | OK. So the clause _trade groups suggesting_ is just ad
               | hominem noise. Maybe your point is that making cooking
               | appliances more expensive to improve them in one
               | dimension is worthwhile since it is greater than a person
               | 's benefits in some other life dimension.
        
               | FiloSottile wrote:
               | That's not what "ad hominem" means, and you don't seem
               | interested in discussing any systemic dynamic. I am
               | disengaging, have a great day!
        
               | mhb wrote:
               | OK. Bye. But use the extra time to find out what _ad
               | hominem_ is.
        
           | SAI_Peregrinus wrote:
           | Better choice would be to ban gas stoves that don't
           | automatically turn on the hood ventilation. Require the hood
           | to vent outside, require the hood to work automatically, and
           | then you've avoided needing a personal behavior change yet
           | still addressed the issue without banning the cooking method!
        
       | debacle wrote:
       | I don't believe for a second that this has anything to do with
       | safety. There is an imprudent war on fossil fuels going on in
       | this country, that is well intentioned but poorly thought out.
       | 
       | And to frame this as a DEI issue is just icing on the cake.
        
         | ClumsyPilot wrote:
         | I wish it was like a real war, I'd be rich just from making
         | ebikes!
         | 
         | We spent over 3 trillion on war in Afghanistan, manifacturers
         | of weapons made a killing!
         | 
         | We also made decisions in days that would destroy lives of
         | millions. Today installing a single wind turbine take 4 years
         | of consultation and planning approvals.
         | 
         | So np, its not a war, not by mpney spent, not by decisionmaking
         | authority
        
           | giardini wrote:
           | I hear exploding e-bikes are the coming thing in the Ukraine
           | - and you're already halfway there!
        
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