Gas stoves can leak chemicals linked to cancer, evidence shows

A study found hazardous air pollutants emitted from gas stoves in California, including benzene — a chemical known to cause to cancer in some people.

Natural gas stoves and ovens can leak harmful chemicals inside homes even when they're not in use.

About 47 million U.S. households use such appliances, according to the federal Energy Information Administration.

A study published Thursday in the journal Environmental Science and Technology found at least 12 hazardous air pollutants emitted from gas stoves in California, including benzene — a chemical known to cause cancer in some people with long-term exposure.

The researchers behind the study — a group from the nonprofit energy research institute PSE Healthy Energy — took gas samples from 159 residential stoves in 16 counties throughout California. They found benzene in 99% of the samples.

They also calculated a household's benzene exposure based on the size of the kitchen, the room’s ventilation level, how much of the chemical was present and whether the stoves were leaking when they were turned off. The results showed that the leakiest stoves exposed people to indoor concentrations of benzene that were up to seven times the safe exposure level set by the California Environmental Protection Agency.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/gas-stoves-leak-benzene-chemicals-linked-cancer-rcna52948

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