Angela Pownall: I got rid of my gas cooktop because research shows it's harmful to our health

West Australian

19-06-2025

Australia may have cemented its love affair with gas with the recent extension of Woodside's North West Shelf project in WA until 2070, but at home I've said goodbye to gas.
I hadn't given much thought to my gas cooktop until recently.
It was old and a bit grubby but its replacement certainly wasn't at the top of my to-do list around the home.
Until I read a
new US study
which found that high gas stove usage at home without proper ventilation 'greatly increases cancer risks.'
Even more worrying is the finding that children's cancer risk by gas stove exposure is almost double than that for adults.
Scientists from Stanford University measured the emissions from gas cooktops in 87 American kitchens.
They also tracked the pollutants' spread to other rooms and measured how long they lingered in other parts of the house, including bedrooms which was of particular concern, given we spend a third of our lives in bed.
High-efficiency ventilation was found to substantially reduce benzene exposure, but the report authors said there is no safe limit for long-term exposure.
Research findings like this are not new, with the Stanford report citing previous studies showing that exposure to gas and propane stoves is harmful to human health under certain conditions.
And that combustion produces numerous pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide (an irritant that causes respiratory disease and aggravates asthma), carbon monoxide (which reduces the blood's ability to carry oxygen), formaldehyde and benzene (which are both known human carcinogens).
With a toddler at home, the guilt of my ignorance about this weighed heavily on me.
Thankfully it was a quick and easy process to swap over to an electric cooktop, and switch off my gas supply.
According to Energy Consumers Australia,
disconnecting from the mains gas network will save me nearly $400 a year on my energy bill
.
Energy Consumers Australia's latest survey
showed only 24 per cent of West Australians are planning to cancel their gas supply within the next 10 years — the lowest in the country.
But I suspect many more would consider it if they were aware of the health risks of gas cooktops.
Why aren't our government health departments and health promotion organisations alerting the public to these dangers?
The ACT and Victorian governments have implemented policies to prevent new residential mains gas connections.
While stating this is being done to reduce fossil fuel emissions, there will be long-term health benefits for generations of residents.
Unfortunately WA is not moving in the same direction.
WA Premier Roger Cook said in 2023
WA would not follow Victoria in banning gas connections to new homes.
It's a stance that needs to change in response to mounting evidence that gas cooktops pose an unnecessary risk to health, particularly that of our children.