Gas stoves release worrying amounts of benzene, a chemical linked to leukemia and other blood cell cancers, according to a new study from Stanford researchers. Benzene that gas-burning stoves release inside homes can reach concentrations even higher than what’s typical in secondhand smoke, according to the paper published last week in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
The study adds ammunition to efforts to phase gas connections out of homes and buildings. There’s a growing body of evidence on the risks gas stoves pose to public health and the environment. The fossil fuel industry, however, has pushed back hard against policies to shift to clean energy by playing on people’s attachment to gas stoves.
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