You’ve likely seen stories in the news recently questioning the safety of natural gas cooking equipment. By understanding the science and taking a few practical steps, you can have peace of mind about the gas equipment in your home—both now and for years to come. 
 

What steps can I take to improve my indoor air quality?

Most of the documented emissions and concerns from recent studies are from the cooking process itself, when oil and grease are burning and emitting into your home. That is not unique to natural gas stoves and can happen with any cooking equipment—electric included. 

Here are a few steps you can take to improve your indoor air quality while cooking: 

• Install a quality vent hood that circulates air outside your home 
• Turn on your exhaust fan on your vent hood 

To improve your overall air quality – regardless of what type of stove you are using - if you don’t have a vent hood in your kitchen to use when cooking, consider 

• opening windows 
• using a high-efficiency particulate absorbing, or HEPA, filter  

Frequently asked questions about natural gas stoves and recent studies

• Is my natural gas stove safe? Modern appliances—including natural gas stoves—are manufactured and installed based on federal safety standards and codes. As studies demonstrate, natural gas stoves are not shown to cause childhood asthma. In fact, most emissions from cooking come from the process of cooking food—not what type of stove is used. Below, you’ll see ways to improve indoor air quality throughout the cooking process. 
  
  At Spire, we are committed to bringing you objective information about the safe use of natural gas appliances. Safety is a core value for all of us at Spire. As part of our commitment to safety, we collaborate with regulators and industry groups to make sure codes and appliance standards reflect our commitment to safety and to the environment.  
• Do natural gas stoves cause asthma? No. There is no documented evidence natural gas stoves are unsafe for your health. In fact, a global study of more than 500,000 children—the largest study of real cooking applications—detected no association between the use of gas as a cooking fuel and either asthma symptoms or asthma diagnosis.
  
  Furthermore, the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) admits their recent report does not show that natural gas stoves cause asthma. 
• Do I need to worry about my gas stove being banned? No. The White House issued a statement that it had no intent to ban natural gas stoves – on the heels of backlash from the most recent study on natural gas stoves and potential health risks and the study author’s clarification that there was indeed no causal link. The US Consumer Protection Safety Commission, which had originally commented on the research report, also issued a similar statement.
  
  The easiest way to make sure your indoor air stays fresh during cooking is by opening a window or venting the fumes from your cooking outside. 

Resources and citations 

• American Gas Association: Indoor Air Quality and Residential Cooking FAQ 
• Cooking fuels and prevalence of asthma: a global analysis of phase three of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC): This global study of more than 500,000 children detected no association between the use of gas as a cooking fuel and either asthma  symptoms or asthma diagnosis 
• Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) admits their report does not demonstrate relationship between gas stoves and asthma 
• Spire’s head of environmental commitment addresses questions about natural gas stoves with  local St. Louis news station