Cooking That Can Leave You Breathless

And now, ladies, one more reason to get out of the kitchen: Cooking may be hazardous to your health.

Or so suggests controversial new research into the relationship between the use of gas stoves and respiratory problems in women. The major pollutant released by the combustion of gas is nitrogen dioxide, an odorless, reddish-brown compound that irritates the linings of the respiratory tract and causes shortness of breath.

According to a study reported in a recent issue of the British science journal LANCET, women who cook with gas are at least twice as likely to experience wheezing, shortness of breath and other symptoms of asthma as those who prepare meals using electric cooktops and ovens.

The association, which held even when the cooks regularly used exhaust fans, showed up only among women--possibly because their airways are more sensitive to pollutants, possibly because they spend more time in the kitchen than men.

Safety experts at the Southern California Gas Company say the study is scientifically flawed and unnecessarily alarmist. “They never even measured [emissions from] the gas appliances,” says Daryl Hosler, manager of standards and codes. “The researchers even admit they cannot establish causality.”

Deborah Jarvis and her co-workers at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London surveyed respiratory symptoms for a year among 659 women and 500 men living in three provincial towns in eastern England. The research subjects were age 20 to 44 and, in addition to describing the cooking and heating appliances in their homes, provided blood samples and underwent tests of lung function.

The test results linked gas cooking not only to asthma but also to slightly diminished lung function. Impaired lung function also showed up among study participants who heated rooms or water with an open gas fire--but, again, the problems were only noted in women.

That came as no surprise to Dr. Vanessa Tatum, an Inglewood internist specializing in lung disease and spokeswoman for the American Lung Assn. of Los Angeles County. “We have known for some time that the incidence of asthma in women exceeds that in men almost 2 to 1,” says Tatum.

Many medical practitioners believe that female hormones and many women’s early exposure to fragrances through scented toiletries and perfumes may explain women’s higher sensitivity to irritants in the air.

Cooking by any method, according to Tatum, can expose men and women to a number of potentially dangerous substances, including ether, sulfur dioxide and cancer-causing hydrocarbons. “If you are a sensitive individual, the body will respond by making water or mucus to wash out the irritant. If the amount of irritant is too great, the body constricts the [airways] so no more irritants can come in,” says Tatum, who says the body may block the intake of oxygen in extreme reactions.

Over the past two decades, the Environmental Protection Agency has issued a number of guides to help consumers navigate the often-conflicting series of studies on the hazards of gas cooking. While some studies have found no links between gas appliances and breathing problems among infants, others have implicated indoor gas use in the frequency and severity of asthmatic episodes.

The Lung Assn. offers a free brochure titled “What You Should Know About Combustion Appliances and Indoor Air Pollution” to consumers who call (800) LUNG USA.

Although gas company service personnel offer free inspections for gas users who fear leaks or dangerous incomplete combustion, they refer customers to private appliance and plumbing specialists for measurements of nitrogen dioxide emissions.

While Jarvis’ research team calculates that switching to electric ranges might cut wheezing and breathlessness among women by up to 48%, even some experts are not ready to give up the joys of gas cooking.

“I love cooking with gas. I really think the food tastes better,” says Tatum, who believes adequate ventilation and the pilotless electronic ignition on most newer stoves offer “an excellent compromise.”

“Natural gas continues to be one of the safest, cleanest burning fuels available,” adds Hosler. We are very concerned about our customers and will continue to look at any possible threat to their safety. . . . But this is not one of them.”