A conversion from gas to induction stoves resulted in a 35% reduction in nitrogen dioxide and a reduction in average carbon monoxide concentrations in a pilot program in the Bronx, New York. Additionally, air pollution levels were shown to be greater in flats with gas stoves in controlled cooking tests.
20 apartment units at a complex in the Bronx were part of the pilot study, which was run by WE ACT for Environmental Justice (WE ACT), Columbia University, and Berkeley Air Monitoring Group. Induction stoves were installed in 10 housing units at the beginning of the program, while the remaining 10 served as a control.
Comparing apartments with gas stoves to those with induction stoves over a 10-month monitoring period resulted in a 35% reduction in nitrogen dioxide concentrations, with temperature and apartment-level parameters taken into account.
The average carbon monoxide concentration during a 24-hour period was found to be 0.8 parts per million in homes with induction stoves during the same 10-month period, as opposed to 1.4 ppm in homes with gas stoves.
According to Annie Carforo, Climate Justice Campaigns Coordinator for WE ACT and head of the pilot program, switching from gas to induction stoves significantly improves indoor air quality and reduces exposure to nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide, two pollutants that have detrimental effects on health.
Low-income and predominantly black regions, like the Bronx, already have disproportionately high levels of air pollution exposure. Given that we all spend about 90% of our time indoors, lowering the pollution in their houses will have a big positive impact on their health.
A controlled cooking experiment was also conducted by the researchers in six apartments, three of which had gas stoves and the other three induction stoves. While indoor nitrogen dioxide levels in homes with gas stoves averaged 197 parts per billion, they were just 14 parts per billion in homes with induction stoves.
While converting to induction stoves may help reduce indoor air pollution, other sources of pollution, such as a gas-powered boiler in the building, outdoor traffic, and close-by apartments with gas stoves, can still result in harmful indoor air quality, according to WE ACT.
We think that whole-building conversions that combine quick fixes like stoves with longer-term retrofit initiatives will have the biggest impact on indoor air quality and resident health in an urban setting because additional causes of air pollution have been identified, Carforo added.
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Participants in The Study Reported Noticing a Difference when They Switched from Gas Burners.
Mary Rivera, one of the participants, remarked, “I definitely saw the change.” I didn’t realize the gas stove was causing my asthma because I already had it. I’m no longer coughing, and I don’t feel as congested as I did before.
Human health may be impacted by indoor air pollution and gas burners. According to a recent analysis in New York, it is possible to hypothetically prevent 18.8% of occurrences of childhood asthma by not using gas stoves.
According to City Limits, the Bronx has higher rates of public school students with active asthma than the rest of New York City.
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The environmental justice projects and policies that WE ACT supports will be supported through the pilot program.
Making adjustments to governmental policies and programs to better fulfill the housing needs of low-income tenants, giving whole-home retrofits for low-income housing priority, and establishing laws to limit the use of fossil fuels indoors are a few of these approaches.
