California Governor Rejects Health Warnings on Gas Stoves

(Bloomberg) -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday vetoed a bill that would have required gas stoves sold in the state to come with warning labels about their air pollution emissions and health risks. Similar bills also failed to gain traction this year in Illinois and New York. 

Gas stoves are particularly popular in California. While about 38% of households nationwide use natural gas for cooking, some 70% of households in California do, according to a 2020 survey conducted by the US Energy Information Administration. That ubiquity is part of why most people consider gas stoves safe. But “the weight of the scientific evidence at this point does not support that,” said Seth Shonkoff, executive director of research institute PSE Healthy Energy, who was not involved with the bill. Shonkoff points to a body of evidence that burning gas emits nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a strong respiratory irritant.

Here’s what the proposed labels would have said:

“WARNING: Gas stoves can release nitrogen dioxide, benzene, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and other harmful pollutants into the air, which can be toxic to people and pets. Stove emissions, especially from gas stoves, are associated with increased respiratory disease. Young children, people with asthma, and people with heart or lung disease are especially vulnerable to the toxic effects of combustion pollutants. To help reduce the risk of breathing harmful gases, allow ventilation in the area and turn on a vent hood when gas-powered stoves and ranges are in use.”

In his veto message, Newsom took issue not with the labels themselves but with the specifics of the proposal. 

“While I appreciate the author’s intent to provide consumers with information about the products they purchase, I am concerned that this bill codifies highly prescriptive labeling content that could only be changed by a future statutory amendment,” he wrote. “This static approach falls short in enabling timely updates to the labeling content that should align with the latest scientific knowledge so that consumers are accurately informed about their purchases. For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill.”Ahead of Newsom’s decision, Pellerin emphasized that her goal is not to prevent people from buying gas stoves. In 2019, Berkeley became the first city in the US to ban natural gas hookups in most new buildings, and several other cities in California followed suit. But backlash was fierce, and Berkeley’s ban was overturned last year after a legal challenge. 

 “I, too, am a gas stove owner,” Pellerin says. “I love my gas stove and I’m not getting rid of it.”

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