Will there be a nationwide ban on gas stoves? The security agency says it's "on the table."

For years, studies have shown that cooking indoors with gas stoves is potentially harmful to our health, especially for children with asthma.

Now a US safety agency has weighed in on the potential dangers, warning they could move to regulate their use. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risk of serious injury or death, has announced that it is increasing the heat from gas stoves.

"It's a hidden danger," agency commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. told Bloomberg. "All options are on the table. Products that cannot be secured may be banned."

Related: Electric stoves are much better for the environment than gas stoves. Here's why.

Go electric

About 38% of US households use gas stoves, but that number rises to around 70% in states like California and New Jersey.

For this reason, many cities and counties across the country have begun to adopt policies to require or encourage consumers to switch from fossil fuels to all-electric homes and buildings.

In New York, for example, the building code requires all-electric new low-rise buildings by 2024 and taller buildings by 2027. Los Angeles passed a law banning most natural gas appliances in new residential and commercial construction. buildings starting this month.

The Cut Inflation Act also offers tax credits for those who switch to electricity. Middle-income households are now eligible for more than half a dozen tax credits for electric stoves, cars and solar panels.

Gas advocates push back

Not everyone is in favor of banning the blue flame.

The American Gas Association says a ban on gas stoves is unjustified.

“The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the EPA do not list gas ranges as contributing significantly to air quality or health risks in their technical or informational literature. public, their advice or their requirements," said Karen Harbert, AGM Chair. “The most practical and realistic way to achieve a sustainable future where energy is clean, as well as secure, reliable and affordable, is to ensure it includes natural gas and the infrastructure that carries it. ."

Others argue that the problem is with the venting, not the gas itself.

“Ventilation is really where this discussion should be, rather than prohibiting a particular type of technology,” Jill Notini, vice president of the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers told Bloomberg. "Banning one type of cooking appliance will not address concerns about overall indoor air quality."

But Trumka disagrees, saying the Consumer Safety Commission will issue a proposal and possible ban in the coming months.

"There's this misconception that if you want to do gourmet cooking, you have to do it on gas," he said. "It's a carefully nurtured myth."

***To update***

After we reported this story, Richard Trumka Jr backtracked on his comment on the gas stove ban. The story caused an outcry among some consumers and politicians, including Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

Trumka clarified his statement by saying:

"We're not looking to go into anybody's house and take stuff that's already there. We're not doing that," Trumka told CNN. "If and when we come to regulations on the subject, it's always forward-looking. You know, it applies to new products. Consumers always have a choice of what they want to keep in their homes and we want to make sure they do it with complete information. ."