Days after the possibility of a future ban on gas stoves was raised by a commissioner with the US Consumer Safety Product Commission, President Joe Biden has clarified that such a move is not in the works.
Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House Press Secretary, spoke to Biden's opposition to a potential ban Wednesday, adding that the independent Consumer Safety Product Commission would not be pursuing a ban.
While Biden is opposed to any ban on gas stoves, the White House did not comment on the safety of the appliances.
“When it comes to the question about safety or the effect of gas stoves, that is not something that we can speak to here at the White House,” Jean-Pierre said.
Richard Trumka Jr., a commissioner with the CSPC, cited a December 2022 study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health that linked indoor gas stove usage to an increased risk of childhood asthma.
According to the study, gas stoves are used in approximately 35 percent of homes nationwide, with their usage rate nearing 70 percent in California and Illinois.
The study adds that if gas stove usage were not present, childhood asthma in Illinois could be reduced by over 21 percent, more than any other state in the country. Nearly 13 percent of childhood asthma cases were attributed to gas stove usage in the study's findings.
Local
The Illinois Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division declined a request for comment on the matter from NBC 5.
New York City, Seattle and Los Angeles have all enacted measures that ban the use of gas stoves in newly-constructed buildings in an effort to phase out what has been a longtime staple in many American kitchens.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
