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Gas stoves emit benzene, linked to cancer, a new Stanford study shows Benzene is
among the pollutants gas stoves emit into homes, Stanford University researchers
show. The toxin is linked to a higher risk of leukemia and other blood cell
cancers.

NPR


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GAS STOVES POLLUTE HOMES WITH BENZENE, WHICH IS LINKED TO CANCER

June 16, 20232:25 PM ET
Heard on All Things Considered

Jeff Brady

GAS STOVES POLLUTE HOMES WITH BENZENE, WHICH IS LINKED TO CANCER

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Enlarge this image

Flames burn on a natural gas-burning stove in Chicago on Jan. 12. New research
from Stanford University show gas stoves emit benzene, which is linked to
cancer. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Scott Olson/Getty Images


Flames burn on a natural gas-burning stove in Chicago on Jan. 12. New research
from Stanford University show gas stoves emit benzene, which is linked to
cancer.

Scott Olson/Getty Images

When the blue flame fires up on a gas stove, there's more than heat coming off
the burner. Researchers at Stanford University found that among the pollutants
emitted from stoves is benzene, which is linked to cancer.

Levels of benzene can reach higher than those found in secondhand tobacco smoke
and the benzene pollution can spread throughout a home, according to the
research.

The findings add to a growing body of scientific evidence showing that emissions
within the home are more harmful than gas stove owners have been led to believe.
And it comes as stoves have been dragged into the country's ongoing culture
wars.


WHAT RESEARCHERS FOUND

Stanford scientists measured benzene from gas stoves in 87 California and
Colorado homes in 2022 for the paper published in the journal Environmental
Science and Technology. They found both natural gas and propane stoves "emitted
detectable and repeatable levels of benzene that in some homes raised indoor
benzene concentrations above well-established health benchmarks."

Enlarge this image

Stanford researchers in Bakersfield, Ca. operate a benzene analyzer in the back
of an electric vehicle. They used an EV because pollution from gas exhaust
contains benzene, which could alter results. Stanford Doerr School of
Sustainability hide caption

toggle caption
Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability


Stanford researchers in Bakersfield, Ca. operate a benzene analyzer in the back
of an electric vehicle. They used an EV because pollution from gas exhaust
contains benzene, which could alter results.

Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability

The risks of benzene have long been known. The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention says the chemical is linked to leukemia and other blood cell cancers.



"Benzene forms in flames and other high-temperature environments, such as the
flares found in oil fields and refineries. We now know that benzene also forms
in the flames of gas stoves in our homes," said Rob Jackson in a statement. He's
the study's senior author and a Stanford professor of earth sciences.

With one burner on high or the oven at 350 degrees, the researchers found
benzene levels in a house can be worse than average levels for second-hand
tobacco smoke. And they found the toxin doesn't just stay in the kitchen, it can
migrate to other places, such as bedrooms.


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GAS STOVE MAKERS HAVE A POLLUTION SOLUTION. THEY'RE JUST NOT USING IT

"Good ventilation helps reduce pollutant concentrations, but we found that
exhaust fans were often ineffective at eliminating benzene exposure," Jackson
said. He says this is the first paper to analyze benzene emissions when a stove
or oven is in use.

Researchers also tested whether cooking food - pan-frying salmon or bacon -
emits benzene but found all the pollution came from the gas and not the food.
That's important because the gas industry often deflects concern about pollution
from its fuel, to breathing problems that can be triggered by cooking fumes.

There are no studies out there that say cooking with gas will make someone sick.
This is all about increasing risks for certain illnesses.




THE GAS INDUSTRY RESPONDS

The American Gas Association, which represents natural gas utilities, routinely
casts doubt over scientific research showing that burning natural gas in homes
can be unhealthy. Last year the powerful trade group criticized a peer-reviewed
study showing gas stoves leak benzene even when they are turned off. The AGA
offered similar criticism of a 2022 analysis, which showed 12.7% of childhood
asthma cases in the U.S. can be attributed to gas stove use in homes.

The AGA said in an email that its still evaluating the study. The National
Propane Gas Association, in a statement to NPR, tried to cast doubt on the
peer-reviewed research. The NPGA said the Stanford paper "fails to analyze
real-world environments," and suggests when cooking with gas "air quality can be
managed through numerous measures, including ventilation options such as range
hoods or exhaust fans."


UNTANGLING DISINFORMATION


GAS STOVES BECAME PART OF THE CULTURE WAR IN LESS THAN A WEEK. HERE'S WHY

Medical experts are starting to take stands against cooking with gas. Nitrogen
dioxide emissions have been the biggest concern, because they can trigger
respiratory diseases, like asthma. The American Public Health Association has
labeled gas cooking stoves "a public health concern," and the American Medical
Association warns that cooking with gas increases the risk of childhood asthma.

Gas stoves also emerged as a culture war issue earlier this year after
Commissioner Richard Trumka, Jr., of the Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC), suggested that the government might consider stricter regulation of new
gas stoves.

Lawmakers in the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives recently
introduced and passed two pieces of legislation aimed at limiting new
regulations on gas stoves. One, called the "Save Our Gas Stoves Act" would block
the Department of Energy from implementing proposed energy efficiency standards
for ranges. Another called the "Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act" would
prohibit the CPSC from banning or further regulating the sale of gas stoves.
It's unlikely either of the bills will become law with Democrats controlling the
U.S. Senate and White House.




WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT GAS STOVE POLLUTION?

Gas utilities have long researched how gas stoves pollute indoor air and even
developed new styles of burners that use less gas and emit less nitrogen
dioxide. But manufacturers don't use them, saying they are more expensive,
harder to clean and consumers aren't demanding them.

But if you're worried about pollution from cooking with a gas stove, there are
some things you can do. The most obvious is to stop cooking with gas and switch
to electric.

There are campaigns underway to encourage people to do that, both for health and
climate reasons. The main ingredient in natural gas is methane, which leaks into
the atmosphere all along the gas supply chain and is a potent greenhouse gas.

Enlarge this image

Gas stoves emit pollution into your house and they are connected to a production
and supply system that leaks the powerful greenhouse gas methane during
drilling, fracking, processing and transport. Meredith Miotke for NPR hide
caption

toggle caption
Meredith Miotke for NPR


Gas stoves emit pollution into your house and they are connected to a production
and supply system that leaks the powerful greenhouse gas methane during
drilling, fracking, processing and transport.

Meredith Miotke for NPR

Replacing a stove is expensive, though, and there are cheaper interim solutions.
You can buy a portable induction cooktop, Consumer Reports has advice here.
There are other plug-in appliances, such as toaster ovens, that can reduce the
amount of time necessary to use a gas stove.

And when the time comes to replace your stove, there are now government
subsidies available through the climate-focused Inflation Reduction Act passed
last year. The nonprofit group Rewiring America has a guide here.

 * gas stoves

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