The Gas Stove: A Lesser Known Commercially Determined Health Hazard

Commercial products that are obviously harmful have dominated research and discourse in the field of commercial determinants of health. Cigarettes and vapes, alcohol, gambling, soda, and unhealthy foods all fit the category.

There are also less-well-known products that have managed to maintain good reputations despite posing health risks.

One of the examples that surprised me the most a few years ago when it hit the news cycle and culture wars public debate is the gas stove.

The history of the appliance in the US follows a familiar commercially determined trajectory:

1️⃣1920s - Gas stove technology is introduced.

2️⃣1930s & 1940s - Gas industry employs an effective marketing campaign to convince people to switch from wood burning and electricity, coining “now we’re cooking with gas” to position gas stoves as superior.

3️⃣1970s & 1980s - Health concerns are raised – especially around the indoor release of nitrogen dioxide – so the gas industry borrows from Tobacco’s PR playbook, among other tactics, to confuse the science and "quiet" public concern.

4️⃣1990s to 2020s - Epidemiological evidence on the dangers of gas stoves grows.