A new Queensland-led study has found switching off gas stoves may help curb childhood asthma.
Researchers found that for 12.3 per cent of sufferers aged 14 or younger in Australia asthma was triggered or worsened by exposure to gas stoves, while exposure to damp housing accounted for 7.9 per cent.
The study found cooking with gas released chemicals such as nitrogen dioxide and formaldehyde can cause inflammation in the airways, and dampness in housing can promote fungi, bacteria and dust mites that can also cause inflammation, cytotoxic and immunosuppressive effects.
University of Queensland researcher Dr Luke Knibbs, the study's lead author, said if Australian households were able to eliminate damp housing, “we might be able to avert a total of 8 percent of the total burden of illness due to asthma in Australian children”.