Northeast Ohio residents with asthma may soon get access to a new program intended to improve indoor air quality.
The program, led by MetroHealth and Community Housing Solutions, will identify 1,200 households with at least one asthmatic resident in and around Cleveland, Akron and Canton to swap out gas stoves for electric through a $17 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"Many people throughout Cleveland and in many communities across the country face disproportionate environmental risks," EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore said. "The causes of environmental injustice are complex, involving historical zoning decisions, mortgage lending and permitting practices that will require time, action and additional legal authorities at all levels of government to rectify fully addressing this legacy."
In Cleveland, one in five residents have asthma, said Dr. Ash Sehgal, the director of the project at MetroHealth, and gas stoves can contribute to worsened symptoms by releasing harmful chemicals into the air.
"In particular, there are chemicals called nitrogen oxides that are released from cooking in gas stoves that are harmful for people of asthma," he said. "There's also particulate matter that's released from the cooking process that can be harmful for people with asthma."
The new electric stoves will be safer and more energy efficient than older electric models, Sehgal said.
"That's going to help in terms of climate change," he said. "We specifically selected induction electric stoves for this project because induction electric stoves heat up very quickly when you turn them on and cool down very quickly when you turn them off, just like gas stoves do."
Crews will also make any necessary upgrades to electrical systems and indoor ventilation as part of the program, Sehgal said. Data will be collected on indoor air quality both before and after stove replacement, along with the impact on residents’ asthma.
Community Housing Solutions assists residents, primarily seniors, in Cuyahoga County with home repairs that might otherwise go unaddressed, Executive Director Pam Schuellerman said.
"Many residents and clients that we serve are already burdened by delayed maintenance and home maintenance and repair costs that they struggle to pay for," she said, "and they certainly aren't thinking about air quality or energy efficiency in their homes."
For many of the residents they serve, gas stoves are commonplace.
"There are chemicals called nitrogen oxides that are released from cooking in gas stoves that are harmful for people of asthma. There's also particulate matter that's released from the cooking process that can be harmful for people with asthma."Dr. Ash Seahgal
"We're seeing 2500 homeowners a year, 70% or so have gas stoves," Schuellerman said. "This is ... the low income, usually older adult demographic."
Community Housing Solutions inspectors like Challie Kelley are tasked with assessing client homes of any safety risks and maintenance issues that may be eligible for repair or replacement, like swapping out old furnaces and hot water tanks with energy efficient ones.
The new gas stove replacement program will only aid them in that effort, he said.
"If you change over a gas stove to an electric stove, that will also pull fumes from the home," he said. "They're safe ... because you're eliminating everything that could cause any type of hazard to your breathing."
The program is open to asthmatic residents in Cleveland, Euclid, East Cleveland, Garfield Heights, Maple Heights, Newburgh Heights, Warrensville Heights, Akron and Canton. Anyone with questions about the program or eligibility are encouraged to call Community Housing Solutions at (216) 231-5815.
