The Health Dangers of Gas Stoves Keep Piling Up

New research this month adds more fuel to the debate over gas stoves. The study found that gas and propane stoves emitted detectable amounts of benzene, a common air pollutant and carcinogen. Benzene levels were often above recommended safety thresholds and could linger for hours after the stoves were turned off in some homes.

Earlier this year, the Consumer Product Safety Commission made headlines after one of its commissioners, Richard Trumka Jr, suggested that the agency might explore a number of options to better regulate gas stoves due to their health impacts, up to and including a ban. Trumka later clarified that any such ban would only apply to new gas stoves, though that wasn’t enough to dissuade the wave of right-wing lawmakers and pundits who fearmongered about the government marching in to steal people’s stoves. Eventually, the chair of the CPSC, Alexander Hoehn-Saric, walked back Trumka’s comments and stated that a ban was not on the table currently.

Controversy aside, there has been growing research pointing to the dangers of gas stoves. A study last December, for instance, estimated that one in every eight cases of childhood asthma in the U.S. could be attributed to the indoor pollution caused by gas stoves. The authors of this new study, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, decided to take a closer look at one of the specific pollutants linked to stoves: benzene.

Benzene is a colorless or slightly yellowish flammable liquid at room temperature. It’s naturally found in the environment and is also commonly used in manufacturing. But it’s toxic in high doses, causing symptoms like dizziness, vomiting, and tremors, and long-term exposure can raise a person’s risk of developing certain cancers.

The researchers went into 87 homes throughout California and Colorado that had gas, propane, or other types of stoves. They then measured benzene levels directly emitted by the stoves across a variety of scenarios, such as after turning on the burners to high temperatures. In some homes, they also measured airborne concentrations of benzene in the kitchen and as far away as the bedroom.

The team found that gas and propane stoves consistently produced noticeable levels of benzene, with emissions 10 to 25 times higher than those from electric coil or radiant stoves. Meanwhile, neither induction stoves nor the foods they cooked produced detectable benzene. Often, these levels were higher than the safety benchmarks for indoor exposure established by the European Union and other countries.

The researchers also found that benzene levels could reach these unsafe exposure levels in the kitchen and bedroom, depending on the size of the house and ventilation conditions. In some cases, people could be exposed to benzene outside of the kitchen even hours after the stove was no longer in use.

“Combustion of gas and propane from stoves may be a substantial benzene exposure pathway and can reduce indoor air quality,” the authors wrote.

This is only one study, so its findings shouldn’t be taken as gospel. But other research has similarly shown that gas stoves can release unhealthy levels of benzene into the home, and they aren’t good for our environment either. Even if you disagree with an outright ban on gas stoves, it’s tough to argue that we wouldn’t be better off with fewer of these pollution-spewing appliances in our homes.

New research this month adds more fuel to the debate over gas stoves. The study found that gas and propane stoves emitted detectable amounts of benzene, a common air pollutant and carcinogen. Benzene levels were often above recommended safety thresholds and could linger for hours after the stoves were turned off in some homes.

Earlier this year, the Consumer Product Safety Commission made headlines after one of its commissioners, Richard Trumka Jr, suggested that the agency might explore a number of options to better regulate gas stoves due to their health impacts, up to and including a ban. Trumka later clarified that any such ban would only apply to new gas stoves, though that wasn’t enough to dissuade the wave of right-wing lawmakers and pundits who fearmongered about the government marching in to steal people’s stoves. Eventually, the chair of the CPSC, Alexander Hoehn-Saric, walked back Trumka’s comments and stated that a ban was not on the table currently.

Controversy aside, there has been growing research pointing to the dangers of gas stoves. A study last December, for instance, estimated that one in every eight cases of childhood asthma in the U.S. could be attributed to the indoor pollution caused by gas stoves. The authors of this new study, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, decided to take a closer look at one of the specific pollutants linked to stoves: benzene.

Benzene is a colorless or slightly yellowish flammable liquid at room temperature. It’s naturally found in the environment and is also commonly used in manufacturing. But it’s toxic in high doses, causing symptoms like dizziness, vomiting, and tremors, and long-term exposure can raise a person’s risk of developing certain cancers.

The researchers went into 87 homes throughout California and Colorado that had gas, propane, or other types of stoves. They then measured benzene levels directly emitted by the stoves across a variety of scenarios, such as after turning on the burners to high temperatures. In some homes, they also measured airborne concentrations of benzene in the kitchen and as far away as the bedroom.

The team found that gas and propane stoves consistently produced noticeable levels of benzene, with emissions 10 to 25 times higher than those from electric coil or radiant stoves. Meanwhile, neither induction stoves nor the foods they cooked produced detectable benzene. Often, these levels were higher than the safety benchmarks for indoor exposure established by the European Union and other countries.

The researchers also found that benzene levels could reach these unsafe exposure levels in the kitchen and bedroom, depending on the size of the house and ventilation conditions. In some cases, people could be exposed to benzene outside of the kitchen even hours after the stove was no longer in use.

“Combustion of gas and propane from stoves may be a substantial benzene exposure pathway and can reduce indoor air quality,” the authors wrote.

This is only one study, so its findings shouldn’t be taken as gospel. But other research has similarly shown that gas stoves can release unhealthy levels of benzene into the home, and they aren’t good for our environment either. Even if you disagree with an outright ban on gas stoves, it’s tough to argue that we wouldn’t be better off with fewer of these pollution-spewing appliances in our homes.