(StraightNews.org) — The Biden administration has considered a nationwide ban on gas stoves. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission could set standards on emissions from gas stoves or even ban them on health grounds. Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. said, “This is a hidden hazard. Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.”
Gas stoves are used in millions of American homes but have been linked to illnesses including cardiovascular problems and cancer. According to various reports, the stoves emit nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide, among other potentially harmful chemicals. The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public health has said that the appliances can also be linked with around 12% of childhood asthma cases.
Critics have responded by insisting that gas stoves are not the problem. The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers said, “Ventilation is where this discussion should be, rather than banning one type of technology.”
The idea has been met with both condemnation and ridicule with some restaurant owners saying it would reduce their productivity and pose a significant threat to the restaurant trade.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was among the key political figures to mock the plans and said that people relied upon gas stoves when there are power outages resulting from natural disasters. He added that the Washington elite was creating rules that would reduce the American people to “peasants.”
Richard Trumka Jr. has since been hit with questions and criticisms on Twitter, including one from Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL) who said, “Over 40 million American households use gas stoves. This type of power should never have been given to unelected bureaucrats and it is time for it to end.” Trumka’s response appeared to signal a backtrack as he claimed that any potential policy would apply only to new stoves and that Americans would be able to choose whatever appliances they wanted to use.
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