If gas stoves in households are leaking, residents are at risk of exposure to dozens of pollutants, including carcinogens like benzene.
“Many people use natural gas because they think it is clean. Our research shows that while gas may not produce as many pollutants as coal or oil, it is not completely clean,” stated Dr. Curtis Nordgaard, a scientist at the PSE Healthy Energy Research Institute in Oakland, California, USA.
Dr. Curtis Nordgaard and his colleagues collected 234 gas samples from the stoves of 69 homes in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
They discovered 296 compounds in the gas samples, including 21 air pollutants according to the standards of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). One of these 21 pollutants is benzene.
Benzene in natural gas is the biggest concern because it is a carcinogen and was present in 95% of the gas samples analyzed by the research team, according to Curtis Nordgaard.
“Other compounds may also be carcinogenic, but benzene is truly the most concerning. We know that benzene causes leukemia and lymphoma,” Curtis Nordgaard explained.
The concentration of hazardous pollutants in natural gas varies by season, with the highest levels occurring in winter, according to the analysis results.
Dozens of air pollutants according to the standards of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency exist in gas. (Photo: npr.org).
Another study by the Environmental Working Group in the USA found that most household gas stoves leak gas.
“At many times, the amount of gas leaking from stoves is not large enough for people in the house to detect the leak. That is concerning,” explained Tasha Stoiber, a scientist at the Environmental Working Group.
The gas compounds leaking from stoves can silently contaminate the kitchen and home environment.
“When we tested the safety of gas stoves during our research, we found that 5% of the stoves leaked enough gas for homeowners to consider repairing them,” Dr. Curtis stated.
Curtis Nordgaard and Tasha Stoiber recommend that residents replace gas stoves with electric stoves to enhance safety.
“Those using gas stoves should turn on the range hood while cooking and ensure that the hood vents air outside rather than recirculating it through the stove,” Curtis advised. Meanwhile, Tasha Stoiber noted that residents should open windows when using gas stoves to allow for better air circulation.
