A silent danger in our homes. Today, a third of French people still have a gas stove. A cooking method appreciated, among other things, for its ability to cook food quickly, but also for the nostalgia it can provoke.
“I think it has a kind and somewhat old-fashioned character, which allows me to create a kitchen that, in my eyes, looks like my grandmother’s,” Isabelle Lesens explains to BFMTV.
Serious health problems
But according to a study carried out by the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) for the NGO CLASP and the Respire association, the majority of French households face overexposure to nitrogen dioxide, the same pollutant produced by exhaust pipes. of automobiles.
To reach this conclusion, the TNO placed sensors for 13 days in 35 French homes, but also in several hundred other European countries such as the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Slovakia, Romania and the United Kingdom. The results are surprising: 53% of French households exceed the daily threshold recommended by the WHO for nitrogen dioxide.
“A gas stove increases the risk of suffering from a respiratory disease by 20%,” Tony Renucci, president of the Respire association, confirms to BFMTV.
According WHOOverexposure to this chemical compound is “associated with respiratory illnesses,” particularly asthma, and “causes respiratory symptoms (such as coughing, wheezing, or difficulty breathing), hospitalizations, and emergency room visits.”
This work goes even further. Inside a declaration Published on the website of the Respire association, it is indicated that the pollution peaks detected in French homes could “last several hours and be even more intense if kitchen appliances remain on for a long time.” “On average, the WHO daily limits were exceeded for 3 of the 13 test days,” we learn more.
Worse still, equipment that is supposed to reduce pollution, including hoods with air recirculation or extraction to the outside, appear ineffective since equipped kitchens retain a large part of the pollution. “This inefficiency would be a consequence of misuse by households,” the researchers indicate.
As a result, nitrogen dioxide particles are found in other rooms of the house, including the living room and bedrooms.
“Today, in France, in everything that refers to indoor air quality, we have no law, no legislation that does not allow things to be improved. That is why this study is important, it provides scientific evidence to a real problem of public health,” adds Tony Renucci.
To limit the harmful effects of this contamination, researchers recommend periodically ventilating the kitchen, especially when using these appliances. As a last resort, it is also advisable to switch to an electrical installation, which is much less polluting.
Source: BFM TV
