Gas stoves: A hidden risk worse than cigarette smoke, study finds

We are well aware of the harmful effects of smoking, including second-hand smoke. However, there are things even worse that we regularly use. Professor Rob Jackson, working at Stanford University, removed the gas stove from his home due to its harmful effects.

The research team led by Prof. Rob Jackson discovered that gas stoves emit significant amounts of benzene. The research results, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, indicate that gas stoves could be more harmful than cigarette smoke.

People who are long-term exposed to benzene may be more susceptible to developing leukaemia and other blood cancers. While benzene is present in tobacco smoke, its concentration in the air caused by using gas stoves can be significantly higher compared to second-hand smoke.

"Observing how the concentration of pollutants rises so quickly in my own home and thinking about how it happens day after day was the motivation for change," explained Professor Jackson in a press interview after removing the gas stove from his home. He was inspired by pollution measurement tests in his flat.

Benzene is emitted during the combustion process. This means that not only smokers and people near fires are exposed to it, but also people breathing polluted urban air. Research conducted in 87 homes in California and Colorado showed that in about 30% of cases, using gas stoves resulted in higher benzene concentrations than the air inhaled by passive smokers.

Data published in June 2023 indicates that the problem of benzene is not limited to the kitchen — this gas spreads throughout the house and can even reach the bedroom. If ventilation in a given room is insufficient, high benzene concentrations persist even after the gas stove is turned off.

Jackson's research does not indicate that the age of the stove or its overall condition had a significant impact on benzene emission. The biggest difference was made by proper room ventilation, but not all extractor hoods with filters were equally effective. Some devices, instead of venting gas outside, led to gas recirculation, returning it into the home.

Prof. Jackson's team's discoveries may provide arguments for proponents of eliminating gas installations from buildings, especially since electric induction hobs do not emit benzene. Previous studies have shown that using gas stoves may be responsible for up to 13% of asthma cases in children in the USA.

On the other hand, there are always the costs of operating induction hobs and gas stoves, the purchase cost of both devices, and the reliance on one medium — a power cut in the case of having an induction hob means being unable to prepare a hot meal. A gas stove does not have this issue.