Exposing the Hidden Health Impacts of Cooking with Gas
Summary
This report synthesises the health risks of cooking with gas, quantifies the societal cost, and gives actionable solutions to phase out gas cooking appliances across the EU-27, in favour of electric alternatives.
Gas cooking appliances need health warning labels like cigarette packets. EU officials have an obligation to consider these health risksChristine Egan
CLASP CEO
All gas cooking appliances release pollutants that are harmful to human health and the environment. Air pollution has been recognised by the European Environment Agency as the biggest environmental health risk in Europe, while the World Health Organisation included it on the list of ten major threats to global health.
Exposure to high levels of pollution is known to cause strokes, heart disease, lung cancer, and both chronic and acute respiratory diseases, including asthma. The impact of gas cooking on the burden of childhood asthma to be comparable to that of second-hand smoke
With new research, this report:
- Synthesises the health risks of cooking with gas
- Quantifies the societal cost
- Identifies how gas cooking undermines environmental and electrification efforts
- Offers insights on the shortcomings of hydrogen as a cooking fuel
- Gives actionable solutions to phase out gas cooking appliances across the EU-27, in favour of electric alternatives
Visit our Europe Cooking homepage to view the TNO reports and additional resources.