New York Times journalist Hiroko Tabuchi reports on a new study conducted by researchers at Stanford's Doerr School of Sustainability that reveals that using a single gas-stove burner can lead to indoor concentrations of benzene, a known carcinogen, exceeding levels found in secondhand tobacco smoke. In a nutshell:The study measured benzene emissions from stoves in 87 homes across California and Colorado and found that natural gas and propane stoves frequently emitted benzene concentrations surpassing health benchmarks set by public agencies like the World Health Organization. Shockingly, a third of the homes saw benzene levels exceed those found in secondhand smoke, which prompted local investigations when detected outdoors in previous cases. This research adds to the growing body of evidence highlighting the dangers of gas stoves, which emit harmful pollutants and have been linked to negative health effects such as childhood asthma. Read more at the New York Times.

Source: Washington Post June 21, 2023 05:21 UTC