Gas Stoves are Leaking Toxic Chemicals in Your Kitchen

Not only the atmosphere, but your kitchen may be a victim of contamination, with low levels of gas leaking from stoves even when they are turned off. This finding is according to a new study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. The U.S. goes through a lot of natural gas, consuming more than 30 trillion cubic feet of it last year. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, about 15% of which is burned by home appliances.

On top of climate concerns, natural gas may be less carbon polluting than coal, but the methane released during production is a powerful greenhouse gas in its own right—there is a growing awareness of the risk this gas poses to our health (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Facts About Benzene

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More than a third of homes in the U.S. have gas stoves, and these leaks are exposing people to a range of toxic chemicals, including toluene, hexene, xylenes, and especially benzene—a pollutant that has been linked to anemia, reproductive disorders, and various forms of cancer.

Another study released in January found that the methane leaking from natural gas stoves in the U.S. is equal to the emissions released by half a million gasoline-powered cars every year. The new study drills deeper into the health impacts.

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Is Benzene Leaking Gas Stoves A Health Concern?

In the new study, the researchers did not venture a guess as to just how serious a health risk the benzene leaks pose. But the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that benzene does all manner of damage to the body.

Benzene can affect the central nervous system, leading to headaches, dizziness, impaired gait, and nausea. Systemically, it can also interfere with blood cell production, potentially leading to both anemia and leukemia. It can also cause eye inflammation, visual blurring, heart arrhythmia, respiratory inflammation, and damage to the immune system (2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Human risk assessment of benzene after a gasoline station fuel leak

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While emissions from gas ranges, ovens, and cooktops can contribute to some degree to emissions of recognized pollutants, there are no documented risks to respiratory health from natural gas stoves from the regulatory and advisory agencies and organizations who are responsible for protecting the residential consumer health and safety.

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What We Know About Benzene Leaks in California

This new study involved sampling gas leakage from stoves in 159 homes across seven geographical regions in California, including the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, and Greater Los Angeles. The sample group cut across different socioeconomic neighborhoods and surveyed different brands and models of stoves and found that in every case, there were detectable levels of leaking benzene.

Researchers expected some leakage of unburned gas when the stoves are in use, especially the pulses of gas produced in the few seconds between the time a burner is turned on and the gas ignites. Still, an estimated 75% of the benzene released into the home is produced when the stove is not in use (3^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Gas stoves can leak chemicals linked to cancer, mounting evidence shows

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How to Limit Benzene Release in Your Kitchen?

If stoves are leaking benzene in Boston and California, they are surely doing so everywhere else as well, and just what consumers can do to stay safe is limited.

Opening windows and turning on range hoods while cooking certainly helps vent pulses of gas, but that does nothing for the vast majority of the time when the stoves are not in use.

Sulfur-based compounds known as mercaptans are added to natural gas to give it its signature rotten-egg odor, specifically to alert consumers to leaks, but the quantity of gas leaked when stoves are not in use typically falls below what most people can detect with their noses.

Any leak that does cross the smell threshold requires immediate action since it can pose an explosion risk. Long-term solutions involve doing away with gas appliances altogether and switching to cleaner, safer electric models.

References:

1. Facts About Benzene - (https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/benzene/basics/facts.asp)
2. Human risk assessment of benzene after a gasoline station fuel leak - (https://www.scielo.br/j/rsp/a/jVPRRL5L98dMQtkG3yrdt9m/?lang=en)
3. Gas stoves can leak chemicals linked to cancer, mounting evidence shows - (https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/gas-stoves-leak-benzene-chemicals-linked-cancer-rcna52948)

Source-Medindia