Gas stoves release worrying amounts of the chemical benzene linked It affects leukemia and other blood cell cancers, according to a new study by researchers at Stanford University. Benzene emitted into homes from gas stoves can reach concentrations much higher than those typical of sidestream smoke, he said. paper was published in a magazine last week environmental science and technology.
The study adds impetus to efforts to phase out gas connections from homes and buildings. Evidence continues to mount about the risks gas stoves pose to public health and the environment. But the fossil-fuel industry is capitalizing on people’s love of gas stoves to push back against the policy of moving to clean energy.
Rob Jackson, a professor at Stanford University and lead investigator of the study, said: “Given that I’ve seen the concentration of pollutants rise rapidly in my own home, and it’s been going on day after day. , became an incentive for change,” he said at a news conference with the newspaper. today. He said the research prompted him to get rid of his gas stove after trying his method out in his own home.
“Seeing the concentration of pollutants rise rapidly in my own home, and considering it happening every single day, created the motivation for change.”
Benzene is produced in flames and people often exposure Effects from cigarette smoke, wildfires, and exhaust fumes. “It’s really hard to think of a chemical cause of leukemia that is more potent than benzene,” hematologist-oncologist Jan Kirsch said at a press conference. talked about the health effects of ) exposure). Benzene is more potent than most other carcinogens at lower exposure levels, she noted. “It’s clearly not to create panic. The idea is that the risk exists and we want to mitigate it,” Kirsch said.
According to the authors, this study is the first to calculate indoor contamination with benzene caused by gas stoves. They surveyed 87 homes with gas and propane stoves in California and Colorado in 2022. In about 30 percent of the kitchens tested, higher concentrations of benzene were found to be produced by a single gas burner set at a higher temperature or a gas oven set at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Benzene is higher than the average secondhand smoke of cigarettes.
A study found that benzene was drifting from the kitchen to the bedroom. In my bedroom, unhealthy concentrations of benzene remained for hours after I turned off the stove. In one residence, benzene levels in bedrooms were comparable to pollution events near schools. California and Colorado That’s what prompted the 2020 survey.
There was no significant difference in the amount of benzene produced by stove age or brand. Researchers also found that while good ventilation affects how much homes are exposed to benzene, range hoods are not always effective in controlling pollution. Some hoods recirculate air instead of venting it to the outside.
By comparison, the induction stove did not produce measurable amounts of benzene. Electric stoves emit much less benzene, about 10 to 25 times less than gas or propane stoves. This is probably caused by scorching the food on a red hot surface.
Climate change is a big reason why places like BerkeleyNew York City, and new york state New homes and buildings are moving towards phasing out gas connections. After all, gas stoves run on methane, a more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. run away regularly from gas infrastructure kitchen appliances.
This is not the first time gas stoves have been associated with adverse health effects. 2022 study Nearly 13% of childhood asthma cases in the United States are thought to be attributable to gas stove use.and another analysis In 2013, children who lived in homes with gas stoves were found to have a 42 percent higher risk of developing asthma symptoms than those in homes without gas stoves.
A 2022 study found that in California, ditching gas stoves could prevent up to 20 percent of childhood asthma cases. But efforts to phase out its use have run into legal problems. Berkeley, California, became the first U.S. city to ban gas connections in new construction in 2019.Then, in April, a federal court blocked Policy will not be implemented.
Bill to Block Federal Ban on Gas Heaters passed it It was debated in the House of Representatives earlier this month, even though there is no federal law proposing such a ban. “Customers love natural gas. In fact, one new residential customer signs up for natural gas service every minute,” said Karen Herbert, president and CEO of the American Gas Association. statement since the bill was introduced.
The gas industry has spent so far Promoting the ‘cooking with gas’ campaign for decades all from Paid Instagram Influencers to this creepy person rap video Since 1988. That’s what I was taught.”
“I grew up in a house with a gas stove. I never thought twice,” Yanai Kashtan, a Stanford Ph.D. “I’m very happy to live in a place that happens to have an electric stove right now.”
