The danger lurking in our homes

Nearly half of the homes in this country, 40 percent, have stoves with gas burners. To some extent, gas cooking is what many consider almost a tradition.

But researchers and scientists have long been sounding the alarm about the harmful pollutants emitted by these stoves, very often at levels that would be considered lethal if they were in the air outside our homes. The fact that they are concentrated in our homes is even more worrying.

The health risks of gas stoves are even more borne by families of color, including Hispanics, as they tend to suffer from asthma and other respiratory problems more frequently than the general population. It is not recommended to keep in your own home a pollutant that can exacerbate these diseases. But the reality is that people with these conditions also among the most susceptible to pollutants emitted by gas stoves, whether they are turned on or not.

The dangers of gas stoves are nothing new. They have been documented since at least 1976, and more recent studies, including one in California in 2022, found 21 different pollutants emissions from leaks of unburned natural gas in homes, and these leaks, according to another methane leak studyoccur all the time on most stoves, even when they are turned off.

It is true that Latin Americans prefer to cook their food in traditional ways, including gas burners. The goal is to provide Hispanic families with good alternatives to keep this tradition alive without risking the health of their families. In many cases, this means following sound advice, such as:

In other situations, you can consider switching to modern electric stoves with the help of rebates from the federal government. It is true that this option comes at a cost, but the cost to the health of our families is higher and requires more than just money. The Inflation Reduction Act includes a federal program that allows states to provide discounts of up to $840 to low-income families who buy new electric stoves. The rules and start of the program depend on the state governments, but it’s worth knowing about it. After all, we are talking about the health of our loved ones.

Dr. Lorenzo Gonzalez is National President of the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR-SEIU), the largest medical union representing physicians and interns in the country. He recently graduated from the AMA + Satcher Leadership Institute’s first Medical Justice Fellowship in the Advocacy and trained as a Chief Resident in the Harbor UCLA Family Medicine Residency.

Author: Dr. Lorenzo Antonio Gonzalez
Source: La Opinion

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest

Feel like you’re flying?I went to a British steakhouse that remodeled Boeing 737

"Steakout" is a restaurant in a converted Boeing 737.The wings have been cut off and the interior has been heavily modified, but you can...

Lexus, by 2026 a new generation of electric vehicles February 15, 2023 1

On April 1, Koji Sato will replace Akio Toyoda as Toyota's number one. The manager will have to deal with various challenges in...

Cadillac Optiq 2025, first details about the new electric crossover November 18, 2023 5

Cadillac announced the addition of a new electric vehicle to its global electric vehicle lineup, unveiling Cadillac Optic 2025. It is a 100%...