Illinois measure would require gas stoves to carry warning labels concerning health effects

If an Illinois lawmaker has her way, gas stoves sold in the state next year will be required to include labels warning the public about emissions.

State Rep Anne Stava-Murray’s, D-Downers Grove, House Bill 3572 would require all new gas stoves sold in the state starting in 2024 to have a warning label detailing the asthma risks associated with gas stove emissions.

“This bill is not about restricting people's choices,” Stava-Murray said during a news conference Wednesday. “On the contrary, it's about helping them make the best choices for themselves and their family.”

She added that this is a labeling bill and does not ban gas stoves or prevent anyone from buying gas stoves.

A recent analysis by Catalyst Environmental Solutions concluded that natural gas-powered stoves are not a significant determinant of residential indoor air quality. It concluded that existing research doesn’t establish a significant connection between respiratory illness and gas stove usage.

“While combustion emissions from gas ranges, ovens, and cooktops can contribute to some degree to emissions of recognized pollutants, there are no documented risks to respiratory health from natural gas stoves from the regulatory and advisory agencies and organizations responsible for protecting residential consumer health and safety,” CEO Karen Harbert of the American Gas Association said. “Furthermore, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and EPA do not present gas ranges as a significant contributor to adverse air quality or health hazards in their technical or public information literature, guidance, or requirements.”

The gas stove debate began earlier this year when Richard Trumka, Jr., a U.S. Consumer Product Safety commissioner, said in an interview that gas stoves posed a “hidden hazard” and suggested the agency could ban them.

John Spake is the president of the Comstock-Castle Stove Company in Quincy, which has been in business since the 1830s manufacturing mostly commercial equipment. He said his company already puts a potential cancer warning label on their equipment due to a California regulation.

“It will be just another warning sticker and government regulation on our business,” Spake said in a statement to The Center Square.