Dear Dr. Roach: My husband has a pacemaker. We have an induction stove, and his cardiologist was uncertain if it was safe for him to use it. So, he does not cook on the stovetop and stays clear when I am cooking.

Is it safe for him to use at least the back burners? When I am out of town or just not home, he is afraid to use the cooktop. I feel like at least the back burners should be at a sufficient distance to be safe. Do you know if it would be safe for him to use? He is 5 feet, 5 inches tall. Thank you. — V.S.

Answer: Induction cooking stoves use powerful electromagnets to create a magnetic field. Inside the metal of your cookware, this creates electronic currents, which dissipate heat through electric resistance. However, this powerful magnetic field can also “tell” your pacemaker to turn itself off or change its mode of activity. This is why it’s important to avoid strong magnetic fields when one has a pacemaker.

For an induction stovetop, the recommendation is to stay 2 feet away from the device while it’s turned on. This doesn’t mean that he can’t use it at all, just that he shouldn’t be touching the pot continuously and should be using the back burners, which will likely keep him the requisite distance away.

Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu.