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Your study [2] doesn’t control for gas stove use and draws its conclusions from outdoor air pollution measurements. Indoor air measurements aren’t available. I

Your study [2] doesn’t control for gas stove use and draws its conclusions from outdoor air pollution measurements. Indoor air measurements aren’t available. It’s possible (and indeed likely, from the studies linked in this thread and article) that cold weather contributes both to gas usage and asthma, and gas usage contributes to asthma on its own.

tgv 6y ago
I can of course only offer anecdata, but my SO's asthma disappears during spring/summer, to return when the cold sets in. Gas usage inside the house is constant, since the central heating boiler is outside. Now, it might not be temperature or humidity, but it isn't the result of burning more gas.
- soupson 6y ago
  Do you use a gas stove? I think this points to the multi-factor aspect of asthma. There's also the fact that asthma is triggered by many things -- dust in the ventilation that only gets circulated in the winter when the heat gets turned on, for example. As an aside -- it's important to keep in mind that the article does not say "gas stoves cause asthma, rip them from your homes immediately or be prepared to curse your infant with respiratory illness." It says, "there's a link here, and we should do something about that link." The author goes to great pains to use words other than cause: "connection" "link" etc.
  - tgv 6y ago
    Sure, but others were pointing at heating as a source, and in my SO's case, that does not seem likely. However, the use of the gas stove is constant throughout the year, so it is probably more complex. An induction stove is planned for early next year, so I might be able to observe differences.
  - fao_ 6y ago
    > The author goes to great pains to use words other than cause: "connection" "link" etc. From the article: > The cumulative evidence was enough for the venerable New England Journal of Medicine to publish an editorial in January recommending that “new gas appliances be removed from the market.” It was co-authored by Howard Frumkin, a former director of the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health, which is responsible for investigating environmental drivers of illness and promulgating guidance about those risk factors.
ruste 6y ago
It's purely a regression on latitude, temperature, and asthma prevalence by age group. I'm not suggesting that cold weather contributes to gas usage. Gas stoves / heat are more common the further north you get.

tgv 6y ago

I can of course only offer anecdata, but my SO's asthma disappears during spring/summer, to return when the cold sets in. Gas usage inside the house is constant, since the central heating boiler is outside. Now, it might not be temperature or humidity, but it isn't the result of burning more gas.

soupson 6y ago
Do you use a gas stove? I think this points to the multi-factor aspect of asthma. There's also the fact that asthma is triggered by many things -- dust in the ventilation that only gets circulated in the winter when the heat gets turned on, for example. As an aside -- it's important to keep in mind that the article does not say "gas stoves cause asthma, rip them from your homes immediately or be prepared to curse your infant with respiratory illness." It says, "there's a link here, and we should do something about that link." The author goes to great pains to use words other than cause: "connection" "link" etc.
- tgv 6y ago
  Sure, but others were pointing at heating as a source, and in my SO's case, that does not seem likely. However, the use of the gas stove is constant throughout the year, so it is probably more complex. An induction stove is planned for early next year, so I might be able to observe differences.
- fao_ 6y ago
  > The author goes to great pains to use words other than cause: "connection" "link" etc. From the article: > The cumulative evidence was enough for the venerable New England Journal of Medicine to publish an editorial in January recommending that “new gas appliances be removed from the market.” It was co-authored by Howard Frumkin, a former director of the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health, which is responsible for investigating environmental drivers of illness and promulgating guidance about those risk factors.

ruste 6y ago

It's purely a regression on latitude, temperature, and asthma prevalence by age group. I'm not suggesting that cold weather contributes to gas usage. Gas stoves / heat are more common the further north you get.