‘Hazardous for indoor air quality’
A Stanford pediatrician has warned people about the dual health threats that gas stoves pose.
What is happening?
Dr. Lisa Patel, a pediatrician at Stanford Children’s Health and co-director of the Stanford Task Force on Climate, Health and Equity, spoke to CBS News Bay Area about the health risks of gas stoves.
She highlighted the dual threat these devices pose, referencing a 2022 Stanford study that found the amount of methane escaping from them is equivalent to the planet-warming pollution produced by 500,000 gasoline-powered cars.
“We’ve known for a long time that gas stoves are dangerous to indoor air quality because of the pollutants they release, but now that we know that methane is escaping at levels as high as those from our stoves and making climate change worse… it’s really a compounded problem,” Patel said.
Why are gas stoves dangerous?
As Patel mentioned, gas stoves emit a number of dangerous gases into the home, threatening the health of the people living there.
Among them is nitrogen dioxide, a gas linked to asthma, heart and lung disease and other ailments, according to the Stanford report. A Stanford-led study published in 2024 found that gas stoves release dangerous levels of nitrogen dioxide that linger in the air for hours after the burners and ovens are turned off. He adds that additional research has linked gas stoves to worrying levels of benzene, a carcinogen linked to leukemia and other cancers.
There are also the consequences of methane leaks, which are warming our planet. For example, Patel mentioned increasingly dangerous wildfires as one of the risks. Although wildfires are not exclusively linked to an overheating planet, their danger is exacerbated by hotter and drier conditions.
“As global temperatures rise, we expect the scale, frequency, and severity of wildfires to increase in coming years,” noted the Environmental Defense Fund. “Some parts of the world are already experiencing an increase in wildfire weather conditions. And in places from California to the Siberian Arctic, we have seen unprecedented wildfires.”
The Los Angeles fires in early 2025 were a devastating example of climate-driven wildfires. In addition to health effects from smoke inhalation, these fires are estimated to have caused between $250 billion and $275 billion in damage and economic losses, according to AccuWeather.
Breathing wildfire smoke can cause symptoms ranging from respiratory irritation to asthma exacerbation, heart failure and premature death, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. One study also linked wildfire smoke to an increase in emergency room visits related to mental health issues.
What do we do about gas stoves?
A number of cities have passed laws banning gas hookups in new construction projects. San Francisco, which already has such a rule in place, recently introduced an update to its policy that would require the same for buildings and homes undergoing major renovations.
For homeowners who want to take matters into their own hands, an induction range is a great alternative to hooking up to gas. These devices run on electricity and do not emit any unwanted gases into your home.
Plus, they can cook food faster than their gas counterparts and are more energy efficient, allowing them to help you save money on your utility costs. And you can even get up to $840 off the cost of an induction range through the end of the year, thanks to federal incentives.
However, not everyone has the money for a major home renovation. This is where plug-in induction burners come in. These portable devices start at around $50 and still offer all the benefits of an induction cooker. Rechargeable induction burners are also great for renters.
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