Gas cooker makers refute talk of ban

Appliance makers hit back after a US government spokesman suggested Feds Consider Gas Stove Ban over perceived security threats.

The Home Appliance Manufacturers Association said consumers can take “simple steps” while cooking, such as opening a window, turning on a ceiling fan or using a range hood, to reduce harmful emissions.

The trade group, which includes major US manufacturers such as Whirlpool and General Electric, as well as foreign companies such as Samsung and LG, also notes that gas stoves are more economical.

“For people who prefer more affordable gas, the association wants to keep consumer choice,” AHAM spokesperson Jill Notini told The Post.

Gas stoves are a “hidden danger,” Consumer Product Safety Commission Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. told Bloomberg on Monday. “Any option on the table. Products that cannot be made safe may be banned.”

Trumka retracted his comments on Tuesday, suggesting that any new rules would only apply to new appliances.

Studies have shown that gas stoves, which are used in 40% of US homes, emit pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and particles, at levels that the Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization consider unsafe.

This issue has been studied for more than a decade, and last year the CPSC formed a task force to make recommendations. The trade group involved in the working group said it was too early to talk about bans.

“This is about what [the commissioner] made a statement that an entire category of products could be banned if they didn’t start a formal data collection process,” Notini said, calling the commissioner’s remark “presumptuous” and “unexpected.”

AHAM expects that any recommendations resulting from the work of the task force will take at least a year. The first step in this process, before making recommendations, is the issuance of so-called “Request for Information” proposals, Notini said.

“That hasn’t happened yet,” she said.

At the same time, appliance manufacturers are creating alternatives to gas stoves, including induction appliances that use magnetic forces to heat pots and pans.