BU researchers have teamed up with the city of Boston on a pilot project to replace gas stoves in local homes with electric induction alternatives, potentially improving indoor air quality. Photo by SergeyKlopotov/iStock

Environmental Health

Bringing Cleaner Air to Boston Homes—One Stove at a Time

Boston University researchers have been partnering with the city to replace gas stoves with electric induction alternatives and measure the effect on air quality

Many pro and home chefs love their gas stoves for the precise temperature control and rapid response. But these kitchen stalwarts may also be bad for you and the environment, according to Boston University researcher Jonathan Levy. 

An expert on environmental health, Levy has found gas stoves produce potentially harmful pollutants that can make the air quality in homes worse. For the past year, he and his team have been partnering with the city of Boston on a pilot program replacing dozens of gas stoves in local homes with electric induction alternatives.

The project—a collaboration between BU, the city of Boston, Boston Housing Authority, and Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation—will also study the indoor air quality before and after replacement to determine exactly how harmful gas stoves might be.

The stove replacements, which are taking place in two housing developments in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, come at zero cost to residents, who will also be provided with a free set of induction-compatible cookware, chef-led cooking demonstrations, and financial compensation for participating in the study. BU researchers are providing expert support and data analysis for the study, installing a device in each home that will measure air quality before and after the switch to induction stoves. 

The BU team, Levy says, will help the city assess the financial costs and health benefits of switching stoves to potentially help inform Boston’s broader policy actions. A BU School of Public Health professor and chair of environmental health, who has been working on the project from its outset, he hopes the electric stoves “can reduce health risks and help the city to meet its climate goals, while also maintaining or enhancing the cooking experience.”

Levy has led a number of studies on indoor air pollution, including some that identified cooking as one of the key drivers of particulate matter in homes. He says that while there’s much to learn from the latest project, the effects of gas stoves, especially in poorly ventilated homes, are well known from previous research, including Levy’s own work tying them to higher nitrogen dioxide exposure. 

“We know that we’re targeting something that ought to provide health benefits and we want to document it and then understand what the magnitude [of health benefits] looks like,” says Levy.

When initial federal funding for the project was terminated last year, leaving the effort’s future in doubt, the city of Boston decided to step in and save it. “The city is very committed to this work,” says Tori Hass-Mitchell, air quality project manager in Boston’s environment department. “We’re funding it internally, which we’re really excited to be doing.” The project is slated to finish in 2027.

According to Niouma Semega (SPH’29), a BU PhD student in environmental health, poor indoor air quality caused by gas stoves could worsen health issues.

“Indoor air quality is one of the major pollution exposures that exacerbates a lot of persistent health issues like cardiovascular diseases, asthma, and lung cancer,” says Semega, who recently won a BU Institute for Global Sustainability research award for her work on the project. She’s among the researchers examining data to measure the exact changes in air quality.

“I truly think this work is important because it’s very local,” says Semega. While taking on climate change can seem overwhelming, she says, it can start with “meaningful actionable change, like replacing gas stoves with induction stoves that reduce all of these pollutants that exacerbate all these public health issues, which simultaneously benefits both the people and the planet.”