The stove of discord: The theory of the danger of gas stoves once again setting Republicans and Democrats at odds

Due to the lack of electricity in Ukrainian homes last winter, caused by hostile attacks on the energy infrastructure, gasification, and the presence of gas stoves have become a blessing, adding comfort in the extremely challenging conditions of a major war. However, in the West, the practicalities of using these appliances has become the focal point of ideological debates among researchers, regulators, and politicians. The United States set the tone for these political debates, with conservative Republicans defending their right to cook as they please, while Democrats point to the harmful emissions from gas stoves that can impair cognitive abilities, provoke oncological diseases, and accelerate global climate change.

"There is a cultural war over gas stoves and everything else related to fossil fuels because climate has become a matter of fundamental cultural identity for the left," notes the editorial in The Wall Street Journal, the leading outlet of corporate America.

Mind analysed publications from Western sources to ascertain the seriousness of the threat and how it impacts politics.

How did gas stoves become ‘extremely dangerous devices’? Last year, as reported by Yale Climate Connections, scientists found that gas stoves are a primary source of indoor air pollution, accounting for nearly 13% of asthma cases in children in the USA. However, a new study by Stanford’s Doerr School of Sustainability and the non-profit organisation PSE Healthy Energy has shown that these appliances are even worse for human health than previously believed.

“This study presents data that is deeply troubling to anyone concerned about the health of their families in their homes,” said Gaurab Basu, a primary care physician and director of education and policy at the Centre for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

What exactly makes gas stoves so alarming? The study, published on June 15 in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science & Technology, was the first to focus on the link between gas stoves and benzene emissions – a toxic carcinogen that has a narcotic effect on humans and can lead to addiction.

"We’ve known for a long time that gas stoves emit some harmful pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide. This study shows that in addition to those known pollutants, gas stoves can also emit amounts of benzene that can lead to indoor concentrations that exceed health benchmarks." said lead researcher Yannai Kashtan, a Ph.D. student at Stanford.

He and his team analysed the air in 87 homes in California and Colorado while gas stoves were in use. In some cases, benzene levels were found to be higher than those caused by cigarette smoke, which the World Health Organisation considers a major source of indoor benzene pollution.

The researchers also found that benzene emissions from cooking often spread throughout the homes, sometimes leading to hours of elevated levels in bedrooms. Even turning on exhaust fans did not effectively remove benzene pollution from the air.

How does benzene affect health? Dr. Jan Kirsch, a retired medical oncologist, and haematologist who practised at the California Cancer Center but did not participate in the research, pointed out that benzene's ability to linger in indoor environments at high concentrations due to gas combustion was unexpected. "I think the study is amazing. I’m sure it’s going to save lives. Benzene is the most potent chemical leukaemogenic, or leukaemia-causing substance," she said.

Jan Kirsch noted that benzene may be more carcinogenic at lower levels of concentration than at higher levels, for example, in the oil or chemical industry.

According to her, as medical knowledge about the impact of benzene on the body grows, perceptions of who is most at risk are changing. Historically, it was believed that this chemical substance had the greatest impact on industrial workers. However, over the past few decades, researchers have realised that children and other people who spend a lot of time at home, breathing polluted air from gas stoves, can also face significant danger.

What else can one get poisoned with? Another study published by PSE Healthy Energy in 2022 linked gas stoves to benzene pollution in homes, but it focused on gas leaking from appliances when they are not in use. This study emphasised the fact that although natural gas is mainly composed of methane, it contains traces of benzene and other chemicals that can infiltrate homes through gas pipelines and gas stoves.

Methane consists of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. When it is burned in air under ideally calibrated laboratory conditions, carbon is converted into carbon dioxide, and hydrogen into water. However, in kitchen stoves, the conditions under which combustion occurs can vary significantly, leading to the formation of various by-products, such as carbon monoxide and benzene.

Advanced technologies for analysing the chemical composition of the air confirm this. The research from the Doerr School of Sustainability also showed that cooking on gas stoves results in significantly higher benzene pollution than gas leaks. “When you’re using the stove, if you have a median stove, you’re getting hundreds of times more benzene emissions than just when the stove is off,” said Yannai Kashtan. He also noted that another health-hazardous chemical associated with gas stoves, nitrogen dioxide, is formed during methane combustion, even under ideal laboratory conditions.

How did this matter become political? A new study will most likely lead to heated debates on how to regulate the use of gas stoves in the United States. Over the past few years, many cities have banned these devices in new buildings, citing their impact on the climate (methane being a potent greenhouse gas that warms the planet) as well as health risks. In early 2023, the state of New York became the first in the USA to legislatively ban the use of gas stoves in new constructions.

However, this issue has become highly politicised, with Democrats advocating for active political measures to reduce the use of gas stoves, while Republicans are against it. "Don’t tread on Florida, and don’t mess with gas stoves!" tweeted Ron DeSantis, Florida's Governor and Republican presidential candidate. Republican-led states like Ohio and Texas have passed legislation that prohibits local authorities from deciding to abandon gas stoves.

This law provides generous discounts on the purchase of electric stoves for households that meet certain income requirements. However, since individual states are responsible for implementing the discount programme, the terms and conditions of funding can vary significantly across different parts of the country.

In addition to the political context, Jan Kirsch pointed out that the research indicates a clear decision for people who want to avoid the risk of oncological diseases caused by gas stoves in their homes. “The best thing to do is transition to something all-electric,” she said.

However, Gaurab Basu noted that not all households have the ability to independently purchase and install an electric stove. In particular, renters and people with low incomes may have limited choices other than continuing to live in conditions with a high benzene impact due to the absence of political levers that would promote electrification instead of stove usage. "This is a matter of health equity," he emphasised.

A large-scale ban on gas stoves isn’t imminent, and the idea of the government coming into the kitchen prying anyone’s beloved stove from their “cold, dead hands” is a fear for an even more dystopian future. Researchers have yet to fully pinpoint how gas stoves are affecting health over time, but they have enough evidence to be concerned. “This is a combustion product,” says Eric Lebel, who is a senior scientist at PSE Healthy Energy. “We are literally burning a fossil fuel inside our house. That’s going to have direct implications on greenhouse gas emission and also on emissions that have a direct impact on your health,” Wired concluded.