Improve the environment at home: 8 rules for use of a gas stove

Alexander Konstantinov, the chief inspector of the safety control of nuclear and radioactive facilities, tells how our health affects the use of gas stoves and also gives some tips to help reduce the harm from them exposure.

Alexander Konstantinov

Chief Inspector for safety control of nuclear and radioactive facilities. Ph.D., associate professor, professor of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences.

Kitchen with gas stove is often the main source of air pollution throughout the apartment. And, very importantly, this applies to the majority of Russian citizens. After all, 90% of the city and more than 80% of rural people in Russia use gas stovesHata, H. AND. Human health in modern ecological conditions. - M.: FAIR-PRESS 2001. - 208 p. .

In recent years, the publication of serious research about the high risk of gas stoves to health. Doctors know that in homes where a gas stove, the residents are sick more often and longer than in homes with electric stoves. And we are talking about a variety of different diseases, not just about the diseases of the respiratory tract. Especially noticeable decrease in the level of health of women, children and the elderly and chronically ill people, who spend more time at home.

Professor V. Benefits are not in vain called the use of gas stoves, "a large-scale chemical war against its own people."

Why use city gas injurious to health

Let's try to answer this question. There are several factors, which together make the use of gas stoves dangerous to health.

The first group of factors

This group of factors is dictated by the chemistry of the process of natural gas combustion. Even if natural gas is completely burned to carbon dioxide and water, it would lead to a deterioration in the composition of air in the flat, especially in the kitchen. After thus burned oxygen from air, can also increase the concentration of carbon dioxide. But this is not the main problem. In the end, the same thing happens with the air that people breathe.

Much worse, that in most cases the gas combustion is not complete, not 100%. Due to the incomplete combustion of natural gas are produced much more toxic products. For example, carbon oxide (carbon monoxide), which can be repeatedly concentration 20-25 times exceed the permitted limit. But it leads to headaches, allergies, ailments, weakened immunityYakovlev, M. BUT. And we have gas in the apartment. - Environmental Business Journal. — 2004. — № 1(4). - FROM. 55. .

In addition to carbon monoxide sulfur dioxide released into the air, nitrogen oxides, formaldehyde, and benzpyrene - strong carcinogen. In cities benzpyrene enters the atmosphere from emissions of metallurgical plants, thermal power plants (particularly coal) and cars (especially old ones). But even in the concentration of benzpyrene zagazovannom atmospheric air does not go in comparison with its concentration in the apartment. The figure shows how much more we get benzopyrene, while in the kitchen.

Compare the first two columns. In the kitchen, we get the harmful substances is 13.5 times higher than on the street! For clarity, we estimate the flow of benzopyrene in our bodies are not in micrograms, and more understandable terms - number of cigarettes smoked daily. So, if a smoker smokes one pack per day (20 cigarettes), the kitchen person gets a day equivalent of two to five cigarettes. That is, the hostess, has a gas stove, as if a little "smoke."

A second group of factors

This group is linked to the operating conditions of gas stoves. Every driver knows that you can not be in the garage at the same time with the car, whose engine is enabled. But in the kitchen, we have a case in point: a hydrocarbon fuel burning indoors! We do not have the device, which is present in every car - the exhaust pipe. According to the rules of hygiene, each stove must be provided with an umbrella ventilation.

Especially bad things if we have a small kitchen in a small apartment. Tiny area, the minimum ceiling height, poor ventilation and all day working gas stove. But with low ceilings gas combustion products accumulate in the upper layer of air to 70-80 centimeters thickBoiko, A. F. 5+ health. - M.: Russian newspaper, 2002. - 365 with. .

Often the work of housewives have a gas stove compared to hazardous conditions in the workplace. This is not entirely correct. Calculations show that if the kitchen is small, with no good ventilation, we have to deal with particularly hazardous conditions. Type metallurgist serving coke battery.

How to reduce the harm of gas cookers

How can we be, if everything is so bad? Maybe it really worth it to get rid of the gas stove and install electric or induction? Well, if there is such a possibility. And if not? In that case, there are a few simple rules. Suffice it to observe them, and you can reduce the harm to health in dozens of times from a gas stove. We list these rules (most of them - the recommendation of Professor Yu D. provincial)Ilnitsky A. Smell gas. - Be healthy!. — 2001. — № 5. - FROM. 68–70. .

1. You must install the exhaust hood over the stove with the air cleaner. This is the most effective technique. But even if for some reason you can not do that, then the rest of the seven rules in the amount also will significantly reduce the levels of air pollution.
2. Monitor completeness of the combustion gas. If the gas suddenly became the color is not so, what should be according to the instructions, call your gas producers to control the burner disorder.
3. Do not block the plate extra dishes. Utensils should be only working burners. In this case, will be provided free access of air to the burners and a more complete combustion of the gas.
4. Simultaneously, the better not to use more than two burners or the oven and one burner. Even if your plate four burners at the same time better to include a maximum of two.
5. The maximum continuous operation time of the gas plates - two hours. After that you need to take a break and thoroughly ventilate the kitchen.
6. During operation of a gas stove in the kitchen door must be closed and the window open. This ensures the removal of combustion products from the outside, not through the living rooms.
7. After the end of the gas stove work advisable to ventilate not only the kitchen, but the entire apartment. Desirably the through-airing.
8. Never use a gas stove for heating and drying. You're not going for that purpose kindle a fire in the middle of the kitchen, right?