Gas stoves emit benzene levels above secondhand smoke, US study finds

‘I’m hard-pressed to think of a more powerful chemical cause of leukemia than benzene,’ said Jan Kirsch, a California-based oncologist. Photograph: Thomas Kienzle/AP

Using a gas stove can raise indoor concentrations of benzene, a cancer-linked chemical, to above what is found in secondhand smoking or even beyond levels found next to oil and gas facilities, a new study has found.

The research, which measured benzene levels in 87 homes in California and Colorado, found that gas and propane stoves frequently emitted benzene at rates well above healthy benchmarks set by the World Health Organization and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).