Conference Agenda

BACKGROUND

Every night across Europe, millions of people sit down to home-cooked meals prepared on gas cooking appliances, completely unaware of the health risks posed by combustion gasses. Research shows emissions from gas stoves often exceed indoor, and even outdoor, safe exposure levels for nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Due to the concentration of ultra-fine particles and NOx, cooking indoors is detrimental to human health and can exacerbate respiratory ailments. Children are more susceptible because of their higher breathing rates, higher lung surface-area to body weight ratio, and their immature respiratory and immune systems. Elevated NO2 levels have been linked to increased risk of childhood asthma, greater susceptibility to lung infections, and damage to antioxidant defences that protect the respiratory tract. These factors ultimately negatively impact a child’s cardiovascular system and susceptibility to allergens.

AIM AND SCOPE

The speakers will present an overview of a two-phase study to be conducted this year that will investigate the air quality impacts of gas appliance cooking in the EU and the UK. The first phase will focus on a literature review and limited laboratory testing. The team will gather European data and synthesize expert findings on indoor air quality, gas cooking appliances and the risks to human health, especially children. The study will also carry out a simulation to assess different parameters, such as the effect of increased air tightness due to building code energy saving measures. The team will conduct testing on gas appliances, and review policies and test standards for gas appliances.

The second phase will be a field study, placing air monitoring equipment in real households to capture the diurnal air quality exposure levels. Working with local partners, we will identify representative homes in five EU countries and the UK that cook with gas to install the air quality monitoring equipment. The team is actively looking to identify national partners to collaborate on Phase II.