New study: Gas stoves double kids’ cancer risk from benzene exposure. Dear CAPP, “Natural Gas” needs to be renamed “Poisonous Gas.” It’s been known for decades that gas harms our health, yet companies, regulators, politicians and you keep pimping toxic gas as green and clean, killing us and our kids, never mind the devastating harm it’s doing to our aquifers, atmosphere and climate. | Ernst v. EnCana CorporationErnst v. EnCana Corporation

@davidsacerdote.bsky.social‬ May 9, 2025:

Funny how breathing combustion byproducts causes all kinds of harm.

I’ll note that the study the article is about doesn’t specifically provide the headline number, though its very clear that there is significant additional leukemia risk from gas stoves.

@marcuspope.com‬:

Or, and just hear me out, use electric?

All of your proposals merely reduce exposure, at scale that still means completely preventable negative health outcomes.

Rarity of child cancer doesn’t help the families it destroys.

Gas stoves nearly double children’s cancer risk, Stanford study finds by Aidin Vaziri, May 8, 2025, San Fancisco Chronicle

A new study from Stanford University found that children living in homes with frequent gas stove use and poor ventilation face nearly twice the lifetime cancer risk from benzene exposure compared to adults.

The study, published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, is the first to evaluate cancer risks from benzene generated during gas stove combustion and to estimate leukemia cases attributable to these emissions.

Researchers measured benzene levels in 87 homes across Colorado and California, simulating a range of cooking scenarios. They then modeled how the chemical spreads through different types of housing.

Benzene, a known carcinogen also found in gasoline and cigarette smoke, is released during the use of natural gas or propane stoves.

The findings showed that children’s lifetime cancer risk from this exposure is 1.85 times higher than that of adults.

“Children generally breathe faster and take in more air — and therefore more pollutants — relative to their smaller body size,” the researchers noted.

Risk levels were highest in smaller residences, such as apartments and manufactured homes, where benzene concentrations were found to travel from kitchens into living spaces and bedrooms, areas where people spend the most time.

In worst-case scenarios involving poorly ventilated homes and the highest-emitting stoves, children’s lifetime cancer risk ranged from 1.92 to 12.03 cases per million while adults in similar conditions faced risks between 0.94 and 5.89 per million. The risks for both kids and adults were well above the World Health Organization’s benchmark of one in a million.

The act of igniting a gas stove releases other harmful chemicals, including nitrogen dioxide, a respiratory irritant that has been linked to higher rates of childhood asthma.

While using high-efficiency vent hoods or opening windows can reduce exposure, the study found that ventilation alone does not fully eliminate the risk.

“This study underscores the importance of effective ventilation and highlights the need for policies and strategies to mitigate benzene exposure from gas stoves, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children,” the authors said.

Roughly 40% of U.S. households — and more than 70% of California households — use a natural gas cooking appliance, according to a 2023 estimate from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Growing concern over health and environmental impacts has prompted action in several states. In California, lawmakers passed AB2513 last year, which would have required warning labels on gas stoves sold in stores starting in 2026. Gov. Gavin Newsom, however, vetoed the bill.

The measure was intended to expand upon Proposition 65, California’s landmark toxic chemical disclosure law passed in the 1980s, which mandates warnings on products that may cause cancer, birth defects or reproductive harm.

Previous research has linked gas stove usage to increased risks of childhood asthma, and one 2023 Stanford study found that gas stoves can emit benzene at levels higher than secondhand cigarette smoke.

California has taken further steps to curb pollution from gas appliances, including a plan to ban the sale of gas heaters by 2030.

Local efforts, such as Berkeley’s ordinance banning natural gas hookups in new buildings, have faced legal challenges. A federal court ruled the Berkeley law conflicted with national regulations, prompting the city to repeal the ordinance.

While there is growing momentum to reduce reliance on natural gas, some experts note that direct evidence linking the switch to electric ranges with measurable health benefits remains limited.

Exposure and health risks of benzene from combustion by gas stoves: A modelling approach in U.S. homes by Anchal Garg, Yannai Kashtan, Metta Nicholson, Colin J. Finnegan, Eric D. Lebel, Drew R. Michanowicz, Seth B.C. Shonkoff, Kari C. Nadeau, and Robert B. Jackson, Journal of Hazardous Materials Volume 492, 15 July 2025, 137986

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.137986 Get rights and content

Highlights

CONTAM model accurately estimated indoor benzene concentrations and its dispersal in most testing homes.
High gas stove usage without proper ventilation greatly increases cancer risks, often surpassing WHO limits.
Children’s cancer risk by gas stove exposure is 1.85 times higher than adults.
High-efficiency vented hoods (CE ≥75 %) substantially reduced benzene exposure.

Abstract

Natural gas and propane stoves emit benzene, a known carcinogen through combustion. This study evaluates population-level benzene exposure and associated health risks for the 6.3 million U.S. residents exposed to the top 5 % highest benzene-emitting gas stoves. We used the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s CONTAM, a multizone indoor air quality model, to simulate benzene concentration distributions across 24 floorplans by integrating benzene emission rates with U.S. housing stock data. Health risks were assessed using the USEPA Health Risk Assessment methodology under scenarios of low, medium, and high stove usage with ventilated (open windows or/and hoods) and non-ventilated conditions. The results show that gas stove emissions significantly elevate cancer risks in homes with medium to high gas stove usage and inadequate ventilation. The cumulative Incremental Lifetime Cancer Risks (ILTCR) often exceeded the WHO safe threshold of 1E-06, particularly for children, whose ILTCR was 1.85 times higher (95 % CI: 1.43–2.12) than for adults in most of the high and medium gas stove usage scenarios. While cancer risks were elevated, non-cancer outcomes had hazard quotients < 1 in all scenarios. Ventilation mitigated risks, with high-efficiency (≥75 %) vented hoods notably reducing benzene exposure in kitchens. The study underscores the importance of addressing combustion-related indoor air pollutants to protect public health, particularly in households with limited ventilation.