Could the type of oven you use be putting your child’s health at risk?
The long held belief that gas cooking is linked to asthma and other allergic conditions has been disproved by a new study.
It was once thought that a child who lived in a home which used a gas cooker would be at more risk of conditions like asthma.
Gas cookers emit nitrogen dioxide and release particles of nitrous acid into the air you breathe inside your home. Both can have an adverse effect on your condition and lead to an asthma attack.
A team of researchers followed children from birth to the age of eight, asking them to fill in a questionnaire each year, assessing any respiratory or allergic symptoms and their exposure to gas cooking.
Out of the 3,950 children who took part in the study, the only symptom associated with gas exposure that was reported was mild nasal symptoms. Between 15 and 31 reported this annually.
But the study did not find any effect on lower respiratory tract infection, eczema, allergic sensitisation or bronchial hyper-responsiveness.
While the proportion of girls suffering with asthma was associated with exposure to gas cooking, the team of researchers believes gas cooking does not have an adverse effect on the development of asthma and other allergies.
They say more research needs to be carried out to confirm their results, but the findings should go some way to put parents’ minds at rest regarding gas cookers and their child’s risk of developing asthma.
Comments are closed.