Are gas stoves really dangerous? What we know about the science

A gas range can produce as much benzene in a home as a cigarette smoker does – and that’s when the range is off. Photograph: Ina Fassbender/AFP/Getty Images

Gas stoves are a hot topic. A new study linked them to one in eight childhood asthma cases, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said it would look into banning them, and Republicans expressed anger at the mere suggestion.

At the same time, federal and state policies are aiming to give gas stoves’ main competition – regular electric stoves and the ballyhooed induction stove – a boost.