Target: Alexander Hoehn-Saric, Chair of Consumer Product Safety Commission
Goal: Support further research into health effects of gas stoves and more enforceable regulation.
A pair of research studies has reignited the debate about gas stoves. A Harvard study found that these stoves emitted abnormally high levels of toxic substances, even known carcinogens, whether the stoves were turned on or off. And another worrisome study from the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health attributed around 12 percent of childhood asthma cases to gas stove usage.
In response to the studies and other findings about the environmental impact of these products, a representative of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) stated: “this is a hidden hazard. Any option is on the table.” The statement prompted predictable outrage from opponents who tried to politicize the issue. The CPSC then quickly walked back its stance due to the vitriolic backlash.
This very real issue cannot be abandoned and lost to partisan squabbling. Sign the petition below to urge the CPSC to embrace the call for enhanced research and tighter restrictions on an ongoing threat to environmental health, public health, and consumer safety.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Chair Hoehn-Saric,
You represent the agency tasked with ensuring the safety of consumers. This duty cannot be ignored or dismissed simply because of politically fueled pressure. You have ample evidence and countless professionals who will reiterate that gas stoves pose a clear and present danger to not only the environment but to consumer health.
Please do not let assurances that you will not enact a ban be your last word on this topic. Scientists, lawmakers, and the public await your next step. You have already affirmed your support for electric stoves and induction ovens as safer alternatives. Fully invest in this transition and take action to rein in the toxic effects of gas stoves.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Bill Jones
Campfires emit more pollution than gas stoves, but I don’t see anyone trying to ban camping, or helping to get the homeless off the street and into homes so they won’t like campfires. The studies were decades old and involved old appliances in enclosed spaces with no ventilation hoods. So why the hysteria, now? Gas stoves are an option, not a requirement. Sounds like another way to try to stick your nose into other people’s lives where it doesn’t belong.