127

WASHINGTON, DC — The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers, the Washington, DC-based trade association representing most of the nation’s leading appliance suppliers, has sharply criticized proposed legislation in California that would require a warning label be placed on all gas cooking products.

The California bill, AB 2513, said AHAM, represents “harmful legislation (that) is grounded in misinformation about the health risks, faulty data and an incomplete approach to protecting consumer health and safety when it comes to indoor air quality.”

AHAM, for months, has been defending its assertion that there is no provable link between natural gas cooking and health hazards, particularly in the wake of a recent study pointing to linkages between gas stoves, childhood asthma and adult mortality.

“AB 2513 does not provide accurate information about gas cooking and is focused solely on gas cooking, while it is known that all forms of cooking emit pollutants,” AHAM said. “By targeting gas cooking products, an incomplete story is told, which is a step backwards for the health and well-being of all California consumers,” the trade association noted, adding that the focus of attention should be placed on ventilation regardless of heat source.

“Californians deserve warning labels grounded in science, not fear, AHAM said, urging California lawmakers “to stand against AB 2513 and advocate for transparency and trust in consumer information.”