As he cooked over a gas burner in his Emerald kitchen, Tom Brodhurst-Hill said he couldn’t help but think about the nitrogen dioxide and fine particles being released into the air right under his nose.
Out with the old: As part of a push to improve their indoor air quality, he and his wife Fran replaced all of their gas appliances over three years.
Meanwhile, Warrandyte’s Hamish White also replaced the gas appliances in his own home before moving in to reduce the risk of worsening asthma symptoms in two of his three children.
🗣️ “I want to create a healthy environment, not make them more sick,” said White, who founded sustainable building company Sanctum Homes in 2014.
As health warnings around household gas usage ramp up and people investigate alternatives, the state government is preparing to tighten requirements for new homes to be all-electric, a move the Liberals and One Nation are promising to unwind if elected on November 28.
What’s the problem? About 80 percent of Victorian households have gas piped into their homes.
Burning gas produces a variety of pollutants toxic to humans, including nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide.
In September, Doctors for the Environment Australia (DEA) released a report into the health risks of gas, with findings including the likelihood of developing asthma was higher for those who frequently breathe in these pollutants, with children particularly vulnerable.
Australian modelling in 2018 calculated 12.3 percent of childhood asthma may be attributed to gas cooking, while a 2013 study found children living in a home with gas cooking appliances were 42 percent more likely to develop asthma.
The solution? Speaking with the Eastern Melburnian, DEA board co-chair and Monash University Associate Professor Angie Bone said removing all gas from homes would “significantly reduce the amount of asthma” in Australia.
Doctors for the Environment Australia board co-chair and Monash University Associate Professor Angie Bone
The plan: Introduced in 2022, the Victorian government’s Gas Substitution Roadmap, will require new homes to be all-electric from January 1, 2027.
From March 1, 2027, if an existing household gas hot water system fails and cannot be repaired, it must be replaced with an efficient electric alternative. For rental properties, the requirements also cover heating systems.
Other options: The Victorian Liberals have promised to abandon this requirement within 100 days of being elected, which Professor Bone described as “a backward step … from a health perspective”..
One Nation has also pledged to scrap restrictions on gas connections in new homes, but has not detailed its position on existing gas systems.
What’s next? Climate and Health Alliance chief executive Michelle Isles told the Eastern Melburnian: “The narrative around gas being a safe and reliable backup is not the way forward because it is creating harms in our communities.”
Thumbnail Image Credit: eTripping.au