Gas Stoves Can Be Hazardous in Human Health; May Cause Asthma, Cancer in Children and Adults Even When Turned Off

Scientists recently warned that gas stoves could cause children to develop asthma, put adults at risk of having cancer by releasing the same particles belched out by trucks and cars, and can do so even when they're not in use.

According to environmental health professor Dr. Jonathan Levy from Boston University, who wrote for The Conversation about this warning from experts, the stoves in at least 40 million United States households are polluting the indoor air with NO2 or nitrogen dioxide.

That is the same pollutant linked to major highways. Due to the more enclosed nature of an indoor room compared to outdoors, the pollution in a gas stove kitchen "could be stronger than it is on a major freeway," Mail Online reported.

Continued exposure to NO2 can cause considerable lung cancer. Kids at home may be more likely to develop asthma, while adults are at a heightened risk of experiencing respiratory conditions or even cancer.

Harmful Chemicals from Gas Stoves

This same report specified that gas stoves continue emitting harmful chemicals too, even when they are off. Such chemicals include Methane, which can cause a person to have difficulty in breathing and cause a rapid heartbeat.

Benzene is another chemical that may leak from switched-off gas stoves. The chemical has been associated with the development of multiple cancers, although experts are uncertain if the amount of benzene leaked by stoves is adequate to be a serious concern.

"NO2 is a byproduct of fuel combustion," Levy explained. "Nitrogen dioxide exposures in homes have been associated with more severe asthma and increased use of rescue inhalers in children. "

He also said that this gas can affect asthmatic adults and adds to both the development and exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

It is not the only time a report about the effect of gas stoves on human health has been reported. In 2013, a study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology discovered that children living in those that use gas stoves were more than 40 percent more likely to be diagnosed with asthma than their peers.

Another study conducted in the same year by Yale University researchers showed that every five parts per billion or PPB increase of NO2 in the air resulted in a substantial rise in wheezing and asthma in children in their homes.

Levy also warned that home siz and ventilation are crucial factors as to how hazardous a gas stove may be.

He also cited a study that showed NO2 levels at home frequently exceeded usual safety standards when used.

In many homes, the gas stove is a greater pollution source than outdoor sources due to how concentrated the gases can turn in a small area.

Risks Gas Poses to a Person

Gas is not regarded as a toxic substance, but it does pose risks to a person exposed to it in large amounts. Gas can also cause breathing problems, as it replaces oxygen, resulting in shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, fatigue, and other circulatory and respiratory problems.

Levy said, around five percent of homes with gas stoves are experiencing methane leaks that are large enough to necessitate repair, minus the occupant even knowing it.

Essentially, Benzene, detailed in ChemicalSafetyFacts.org, could be released by an individual's switch-off stove, as well. The gas is regarded as a "carcinogen," having been associated with leukemia and other blood-based cancers.

The amount of benzene from the stove is limited, though, and is not reaching levels regarded as poisonous by health officials. There remain worries over continued exposure, nonetheless.

A related report on the effect of gas on human health is shown on CBS News's YouTube video below:

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