Your Gas Stove Is Releasing a Known Carcinogen

Gas stoves release benzene every time they're lit. Benzene is a known carcinogen. A 2025 Stanford study found that 6.3 million U.S. residents get significant benzene exposure from the top 5% of highest-emitting gas stoves in their homes.

What Researchers Found

The study, published in Journal of Hazardous Materials (Garg et al., 2025), modeled benzene exposure across 24 different floor plans using real emission data from gas stoves. They ran scenarios for low, medium, and high stove usage, with and without ventilation.

The results: gas stove emissions raise cancer risk in homes, especially when cooking without opening windows or using a hood fan. Children are more exposed. Their lungs are smaller. They breathe more air relative to their body weight. They spend more time at home.

The Ventilation Problem

Opening windows helps, but most people don't. Most kitchen hoods vent back into the kitchen instead of outside. Even when you do ventilate, benzene lingers.

Benzene is the same chemical that made leaded gasoline dangerous. It's a Group 1 carcinogen per the International Agency for Research on Cancer. There's no safe exposure level. Any amount adds to your lifetime cancer risk.

Switching to an induction or electric cooktop removes the benzene source entirely. No combustion, no benzene. Browse non-toxic kitchen alternatives to see what we recommend.

Also see non-toxic home essentials for safer alternatives.

Source: Garg A et al. (2025). Exposure and health risks of benzene from combustion by gas stoves. J Hazard Mater.