Gas cookers pump out pollutants linked to childhood asthma, report finds

Scientists find average levels of nitrogen dioxide almost twice as high in homes cooking with gas as in those cooking without

Gas cookers are pumping pollutants linked to childhood asthma into kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms across Europe, a report has found.

Dutch scientists measured the air quality in 247 homes and found average levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) were almost twice as high in those cooking with gas as in those cooking without. One in four homes with gas cookers breached hourly pollution levels set by the World Health Organization, while none of the homes in the control group, which used electric cookers, broke the limits.