On Wednesday the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a formal request for information on hazards of (methane) gas stoves. Given the manufactured outrage and industry denial of its products’ harms (and a new industry-backed reanalysis downplaying the health concerns, a classic disinfo tactic) one new indication that stoves are dangerous comes from a rather surprising source: the industry itself. While the American Gas Association has vociferously denied its products harms in 2023, and the industry actually acknowledged some harms as early as 1907, Rebecca John at DeSmog has uncovered a draft report from 1972 showing the AGA was aware of the indoor air pollution problem, and “was actively testing technological solutions.” But the final report cut the “Indoor Air Quality Control” section entirely, and instead described methane gas as the “cleanest burning of fuels,” aligning with ads at the time describing methane gas as being able to “give us a cleaner world,” or showing toddlers whose health the industry knew methane gas endangered, instead describing the fuel as being “good for growing things.” (Gas Knew: DeSmog; CPSC request: MarketWatch, The Hill, WSJ $, I-TEAM; Reanalysis: FoxNews)
