Gas is haunting your home! New research shows gas stoves release terrifying toxins like benzene, a cancer-causing carcinogen, into your home. Make the switch, before it's too late...
get the word out: Gas Is Haunting Your Kitchen
Researchers from PSE Healthy Energy tested gas from 159 stoves across California and found that gas leaks contain varying levels of 12 hazardous air pollutants, and are a significant contributor to indoor and outdoor air pollution.
Most troubling was the presence of benzene, a highly toxic carcinogen for which there is no safe level of exposure. Concentrations of benzene were disturbingly high in some areas, and researchers found that simply having a gas stove exposes the people who live there to levels of benzene comparable to living with a smoker.
- Study was conducted between February and September 2021
- Samples included 16 counties throughout California, from all three major gas companies
What's creepy and stranger than #StrangerThings? Gas stoves spewing over a dozen hazardous pollutants known to make us sick into your home without you knowing 😲 #MakeTheSwitch to electric🔌 before it's too late...🤢 https://bit.ly/3DE8oiFpic.twitter.com/YuKy2rcjyU
— Mothers Out Front (@MothersOutFront) October 27, 2022
Gas isn’t the healthy choice! 🙀 Your gas stove can expose you to terrifying toxins like benzene at levels comparable to secondhand smoke 🚬 even when it's off❗#MakeTheSwitch to electric today. Enjoy #StrangerThings on TV, not in your home. https://bit.ly/3DE8oiFpic.twitter.com/YuKy2rcjyU
— Mothers Out Front (@MothersOutFront) October 27, 2022
Research
Gas contains benzene, a carcinogen. Leaks happen often and many are too small to detect by smell–just having a gas stove in your kitchen can create benzene concentrations comparable to secondhand smoke.
Solutions
The best way to remove the risk from gas is to remove the gas. Government rebates can help ease the transition to electric stoves for some families, but systemic problems need policy solutions. We recommend getting a leak detection survey and increasing kitchen ventilation.
Health
We already knew that gas leaks harm the climate, but we now know they can create harmful air pollution. Leaks are a problem for our health and the climate.
A healthy home is an all-electric home
Is gas haunting your home? Gas stoves leak all the time, and now we know that they leak terrifying toxins that cause asthma, cancer, and other health problems. Go electric. Be healthy!
Don’t let gas put your family in harm’s way
Putting family first means protecting your kids from gas pollution, and keeping their air clean and safe. Skip the scary substances. Protect your loved ones.
No one asked for ghoulish gas toxins
Gas stoves release more than a dozen hazardous pollutants known to cause short-term and chronic illness, like benzene which is linked to an increased risk of leukemia.
What they don't tell you can hurt you
WANT GAS GONE?
You can make the switch right away, or wait until the end of your gas stove’s life and then replace it with an electric stove. However you electrify, here’s a guide to help you make the switch to a safe, clean, efficient electric stovetop
DOWNLOAD THE REPORT
Composition, emissions, and air quality impacts of Hazardous Air Pollutants in unburned natural gas in California
The natural gas piped into millions of California homes for heating and cooking contains elevated levels of carcinogens and hazardous air pollutants, according to new research from the nonprofit energy science and policy research institute PSE Healthy Energy. The study, published in Environmental Science & Technology, found that even low-level gas leaks from kitchen stoves when they are off can generate benzene concentrations in homes up to seven times California’s recommended exposure limit. These concentrations are in addition to benzene leaks that may occur when the stove is in use.
People in California are exposed to potentially hazardous levels of benzene from the gas that is piped into their homes. We hope policymakers will ensure policies are health-protective in light of this new research.
Dr. Drew Michanowicz, Senior Scientist
Dr. Eric Lebel, Senior Scientist
Leaks are an unavoidable part of the gas system – leaks can happen during production, processing, and delivery. Wherever there is a gas leak, hazardous air pollutants are likely to be emitted with methane throughout the system–which ends in our homes.
Dr. Kelsey Bilsback, Senior Scientist
TELL CONGRESS
It's time to protect families from gas pollution.
There are steps we can take to reduce our exposure to gas – but systemic problems require systemic solutions. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has the authority to set safety requirements for gas stoves. Tell your member of congress to take action.