California and San Francisco Crack Down on Natural Gas Appliances

California regulators have approved new rules to ban natural gas-fired water heaters and furnaces in an effort to reduce outdoor air pollution. However, gas stoves, which emit harmful gases that pose risks to human health, have not been included in the regulations. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the California Air Resources Board do not regulate indoor air quality. Gas stoves are potentially an area where a big difference in exposures could be made, according to a pediatrician at UCSF’s division of occupational, environmental and climate medicine.