Notice2023-04554
Request for Information on Chronic Hazards Associated With Gas Ranges and Proposed Solutions
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
March 7, 2023
Issuing agencies
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Abstract
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (Commission or CPSC) is publishing this notice to request information on chronic hazards associated with gas ranges and proposed solutions to those hazards.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 44 (Tuesday, March 7, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 7, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14150-14152]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-04554]
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CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION
[Docket No. CPSC-2023-0009]
Request for Information on Chronic Hazards Associated With Gas
Ranges and Proposed Solutions
AGENCY: Consumer Product Safety Commission.
ACTION: Notice of request for information.
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SUMMARY: The Consumer Product Safety Commission (Commission or CPSC) is
publishing this notice to request information on chronic hazards
associated with gas ranges and proposed solutions to those hazards.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted by May 8, 2023.
ADDRESSES: You can submit comments, identified by Docket No. CPSC-2023-
0009, by any of the following methods:
Electronic Submissions: Submit electronic comments to
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Do not submit through this website: confidential business information,
trade secret information, or other sensitive or protected information
that you do not want to be available to the public. CPSC typically does
not accept comments submitted by email, except as described below.
Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier/Confidential Written Submissions: CPSC
encourages you to submit electronic comments by using
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>. You may, however, submit comments by mail, hand
delivery, or courier to: Office of the Secretary, Consumer Product
Safety Commission, 4330 East West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814;
telephone: (301) 504-7479.
Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and
docket number. CPSC may post all comments without change, including any
personal identifiers, contact information, or other personal
information provided to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>. If you wish to submit
confidential business information, trade secret information, or other
sensitive or protected information that you do not want to be available
to the public, you may submit such comments by mail, hand delivery, or
courier, or you may email them to: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#197a696a7a34766a597a696a7a377e766f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="63001310004e0c1023001310004d040c15">[email protected]</span></a>.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>, and insert the docket
number, CPSC-2023-0009, into the ``Search'' box, and follow the
prompts.
I. Background
Gas ranges are large residential appliances used to cook food,
where the energy needed to heat the food is generated by the burning of
a gas fuel such as natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).\1\ Gas
ranges are also sometimes referred to as, or include, gas stoves, gas
cooktops, gas stovetops, and gas ovens.
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\1\ LPG contains a mix of flammable simple hydrocarbon gases,
primarily propane but also butane, isobutane, propylene, and
butylene.
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This request for information (RFI) \2\ seeks input from the public
on chronic chemical hazards from gas ranges. Chemical hazards result in
acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term) adverse health outcomes
resulting from exposures to chemical substances. This RFI does not
cover non-chemical (i.e., fire, electrical mechanical) hazards, except
as relevant to chemical hazard issues such as solutions and potential
trade-offs, nor does it cover acute chemical hazards (e.g., carbon
monoxide (CO) poisoning). This RFI does not constitute or propose
regulatory action, but rather is intended to inform the Commission and
the public.
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\2\ The Commission voted 3-1 to approve publication of this
notice. Chair Hoehn-Saric, Commissioners Trumka and Boyle voted to
approve publication of the notice as drafted. Commissioner Feldman
voted to not approve publication of the notice. Commissioner Trumka
issued a statement in connection with his vote available at: <a href="https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/RCA-Draft-Federal-Register-Notice-Request-for-information-on-chronic-hazards-associated-with-gas-ranges-and-proposed-solutions.pdf?VersionId=_t7VvFidNZttG3UoRVYuwJEVxioilrtS">https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/RCA-Draft-Federal-Register-Notice-Request-for-information-on-chronic-hazards-associated-with-gas-ranges-and-proposed-solutions.pdf?VersionId=_t7VvFidNZttG3UoRVYuwJEVxioilrtS</a>.
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II. Information Requested
CPSC is requesting information from all stakeholders such as
consumers, manufacturers, government agencies, non-governmental
organizations, and researchers on chronic chemical hazards associated
with the use of gas ranges, and proposed solutions. The Commission
seeks comment on all significant aspects of this issue, including but
not limited to the following questions.
Question 1: Please provide information related to the scope and
scale of potential chronic chemical
[[Page 14151]]
hazards, exposures, and risks associated with gas range use.
(a) Please provide information related to habits and practices
surrounding consumers' use of gas ranges in residential settings. How
many U.S. homes have gas ranges? What is the duration of gas range
usage per cooking event, per day (i.e., minutes to hours)? How many
days per week/year is a gas range used? Provide information on
infrequent, high-end usage events such as using the oven-cleaning cycle
or preparing for large holiday gatherings.
(b) Please provide information on related (non-cookware) products
used in conjunction with gas ranges and their frequency of use.
Examples of related products of interest are range hoods (in general),
CO alarms, smoke alarms, chemical sensors other than CO, portable air
filters, etc.
(c) Please provide information on the naming/definition,
requirements for, frequency of use, and performance of different kinds
of range hoods (i.e., external venting, recirculating, wall-mounted
canopy, under-cabinet, microwave/combo, island/ceiling, or retractable
downdraft, etc.).
(d) Please provide information on the frequency of occurrence of
reported gas leaks associated with gas range defects or related
equipment or installation defects.
(e) Please provide details on chronic chemical hazards associated
with gas range use. Specify the nature of the chronic chemical hazard,
the brand of gas range (if available), and additional context for
settings and conditions related to exposures if available.
(f) Please provide any additional information not requested above
related to the scale and scope of potential chronic chemical hazards
associated with gas range use.
Question 2: Please provide information related to data sources and
approaches CPSC should consider when completing an evaluation of
chronic chemical hazards, exposures, and risks related to gas range
use.
(a) Please provide product testing information or studies that
describe the emissions of chemical substances from gas ranges over
time, including average and peak levels where available. Provide
supporting information on sampling and analytical methods. Examples of
such information include environmental conditions, and other material
test information for laboratory-based environmental chamber testing and
field-based testing in a representative home environment, such as
temperature, humidity, chamber ventilation, heating, ventilation, air
conditioning (HVAC), leakage in and out of the chamber or home, mixing
characteristics, chamber and/or representative home dimensions and
characteristics, emissions measurements, measurement methods, computer
modeling, post processing methods, product use variations, sample
locations, fuel pressure, and fuel composition.
(b) Please provide product testing information or studies
characterizing differences in product performance, design, or
compliance over time and related impacts on emissions of chemical
substances from the gas ranges. If available, provide supporting
information on sampling and analytical methods. If available, identify
the relevant product safety standard(s) the product met, with revision/
edition (e.g., ANSI Z21.1-2000 or other international standards).
(c) Please provide product testing information that explores the
impact that using different gas fuel sources has on emitted chemical
substances. If available, provide supporting information on sampling
and analytical methods.
(d) Please provide research that explores the relationship between
emissions from gas ranges and indoor air quality. This includes
experimental chamber or observational field studies that reflect
environmental air monitoring of chemical substances during and after
gas range use and/or modeled estimates of indoor air concentrations
based on chamber emission data. If available, provide average and peak
levels and supporting information on methods.
(e) Please provide studies that explore the relationship between
the use, presence, or emissions from gas ranges and associated human
health effects. This includes epidemiological studies that summarize
exposures to gas ranges and observed health effects. If available,
please provide test methods and raw data as well as the context and
examples of the studies.
(f) Please provide summaries of completed or ongoing research that
produces information that can be used to evaluate potential
associations between elevated exposures or disparate health outcomes
and usage of gas ranges over time for vulnerable populations.
(g) Please provide any additional information, not requested above,
related to the data sources and approaches CPSC should consider when
completing an evaluation of chronic chemical hazards related to gas
range use.
Question 3: Please provide information on proposed solutions
related to any chronic chemical hazards, exposures, and risks
associated with gas range use.
(a) Please provide information related to potential tradeoffs
between different hazards (i.e., chemical, fire, electrical,
mechanical, or other) associated with the use of gas ranges, electric
ranges (including older and newer models), and other large cooking
appliances.
(b) Please provide information on existing solutions to reduce
chronic chemical hazards associated with gas ranges and other large
cooking appliances that have been developed but are not widely used
throughout the market. Examples may include safety knobs, burner
design, automatic or semi-automatic shut-off valves, or use of
efficient externally vented range hoods. Where possible, please
indicate cost estimates and why such solutions were not broadly
adopted.
(c) Please provide information on technological advances that have
been developed, or are underway, or could be developed in the future
related to reducing chronic chemical hazards associated with gas ranges
and other large cooking appliances (or related equipment) that are
helpful for CPSC to consider for improving consumer safety and health.
Please be specific and provide cost estimates where possible.
(d) Please provide information related to revision of voluntary
standards for gas ranges. This includes data that would inform health-
based emission limits for gas ranges. Such information would, for
example, link robust and repeatable emissions testing data with
estimated indoor air concentrations and toxicity reference values for
CO, nitrogen dioxide, and fine particulate matter.
(e) Please provide information relating to the subject of mandatory
standards for the sale of range hoods alongside gas ranges. Please
provide information on what any such performance standards should be
(e.g., efficiency of removal of emitted substances), and the costs and
benefits of such requirements.
(f) Please provide information on the effectiveness of different
range hoods for reducing emissions and associated indoor air
concentrations in air surrounding gas ranges (i.e., personal breathing
zone, room of use, etc.).
(g) Please provide information related to potential labeling for
gas ranges that could provide information to educate consumers about
potential hazards.
(h) Please provide information on indoor air quality (IAQ) in home
environments, both related to and separate from gas ranges.
(a) Please provide information regarding inclusion, enforcement,
and compliance to any requirements in
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building codes or other local or state laws or regulations for exhaust
hoods (internally and externally vented) above or near gas ranges.
(j) Please provide information on the costs and effectiveness of
any other relevant voluntary or mandatory standards (such as for gas
ranges or exhaust hoods found in model building codes).
(k) Please provide any additional information related to chronic
hazards associated with gas ranges and proposed solutions to those
hazards that CPSC should consider, not requested above.
III. Confidentiality
If you wish to submit confidential information, please follow the
instructions in the ADDRESSES section above.
Alberta E. Mills,
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission.
[FR Doc. 2023-04554 Filed 3-6-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6355-01-P
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