The use of gas stoves can raise levels of cancer-causing benzene throughout the home to dangerous levels for hours after use, according to a recently published study.
Published last week in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, the study was the first to measure benzene emissions from gas stoves and ovens, and it found that concentrations of the toxic chemical far exceeded the judged benchmark. hazardous by the Environmental Protection Agency.
“We found that a single high-temperature gas burner, or an oven set at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, for 45 minutes increased benzene concentrations in the kitchen above the upper estimate of benzene concentrations found in the kitchen. second-hand smoke in about a third of the cases we measured,” Yannai Kashtan, a graduate student at Stanford University’s Doerr School of Sustainability and lead author of this research, said during a press briefing Tuesday after- noon.
Data was collected from 87 homes across 11 counties in California and three in Colorado.
Researchers found the chemical slowly spread throughout the home, resulting in high concentrations for hours after cooking.
“Within half an hour, levels start to rise in the corridor,” said Rob Jackson, senior researcher at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and co-author of the study, during Tuesday’s briefing. “It takes six hours or more for the benzene to come down to background levels in some cases.”
More and more evidence
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, acute benzene poisoning can cause symptoms such as drowsiness, dizziness, rapid or irregular heartbeat, headaches, and even death at very high levels. Long-term exposure to benzene can decrease red blood cells, leading to anemia, weaken the immune system, and cause cancers such as leukemia.
A 2018 systematic review of research, published in Global Pediatric Research, also found that asthma diagnoses and frequency of reported asthma symptoms are higher in children who have been exposed to airborne benzene.
A hot topic
Gas stoves have recently been the source of much political controversy, as other recent studies have shown that the release of pollutants such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide from gas stoves increases the rate of asthma. in children.
This led a member of the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission to publicly ponder the regulation of gas stoves, including banning their sale at a later date, sparking outrage among Republicans and conservatives, and inciting the chairman of the commission to disavow such a plan.
The Department of Energy (DOE) proposed at the end of January to require increased energy efficiency from gas stoves, which would reduce their pollution. In May, House Republicans held a hearing against the proposal and earlier this month passed bills designed to thwart any potential regulations on gas stoves.
“Gas stoves have received a lot of attention recently, and one of the reasons they are such a potential health concern is that they are the only fossil-fuel appliance to vent pollution to the environment. indoors,” Jackson said. “We will never voluntarily stand above the exhaust pipe of a car breathing in its pollution, but we will willingly stand above our stoves, breathing in the pollution they emit.”
The gas industry and its GOP allies in Congress say regulations removing gas range models from the market unfairly limit consumer choice.
“Fifty percent of the market will not comply with the DOE rule. That’s a substantial amount of gas cooktops,” said Matthew Agen, chief regulatory advisor for energy at the American Gas Association. “A large percentage of desirable products with the features people are looking for will be wiped out.”