The risk of childhood cancer from gas stoves is almost double that of adults, according to a study.

This was revealed by a study conducted by Stanford University in the United States. What should be taken into account to reduce the risks?

                                                                                        

Cooking with gas stoves, a habit rooted in millions of homes around the world, could be exposing families to dangerous levels of benzene.

Scientists at Stanford University in the United States conducted a study that revealed that people who live in homes with a high dependence on gas stoves and poor ventilation systems face a higher risk of developing cancer.

Children are almost twice as likely to be at risk as adults due to their greater physiological vulnerability, according to a study published by the scientists in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.

                                                                                           

Gas stoves emit benzene, a chemical compound classified as a level 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organization (WHO), at levels that could pose serious health risks in poorly ventilated homes.

An everyday threat in millions of homes

In the United States, 38% of homes use natural gas or propane stoves, equivalent to approximately 47 million homes.

According to researchers, this exposes millions of people to inhaling benzene, a pollutant associated with leukemia and other serious health problems.

                                                                                            

The results are especially alarming for the 5% of stoves that emit the most benzene, which directly affect an estimated 6.3 million people.

Children appear to be the most vulnerable due to their lower body weight, higher respiration rates, and more time spent indoors.

The cancer risk associated with their exposure was 1.85 times higher than of adults in scenarios of intensive use of unvented gas stoves, according to an index used by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to measure the likelihood of developing cancer.

Unsafe concentrations in key spaces

                                                                                      

Using the CONTAM model, an advanced simulation tool developed to study indoor air quality, researchers analyzed 24 typical U.S. housing types, including single-family homes, apartments, and manufactured homes.

The safe limit for benzene concentrations set by the California Environmental Protection Agency is 1 part per billion. The results were as follows:

Poorly ventilated kitchens in small homes can reach benzene concentrations above 3 parts per billion (ppb) after just a few hours of intensive stove use.

Bedrooms recorded similar concentrations due to benzene dispersion from the kitchen. People spent a third of their day in these areas.

Health risks were most pronounced in apartments, where benzene emissions have less space to dissipate, while single-family homes had the lowest risk levels due to their greater ventilation.

How to protect yourself indoors

                                                                                   

The use of high-efficiency range hoods and opening windows significantly reduce benzene levels. However, these measures do not completely eliminate the associated risks.

In homes with maximum ventilation, benzene concentrations were reduced by up to 99%.

But even under the best-ventilated scenarios, the odds of developing cancer remained above the tolerable limit in the case of prolonged stove use and in 95% of the homes assessed with the highest emissions.

“Our results demonstrate that benzene emissions from gas stoves are a significant source of indoor air pollution that we have been underestimating. This has significant implications for public health, especially for children and those who spend long periods of time indoors,” said Anchal Garg, first author of the study.

The health impact by numbers

                                                                                    

The analysis estimates that benzene exposure attributable to the use of gas stoves in high-risk homes could cause between 16 and 69 additional cases of leukemia per year.

Although this number may seem low compared to the 62,770 cases of leukemia projected annually by the American Cancer Society, it represents a preventable increase that primarily affects children.

Even with moderate use, the cancer risks for children in bedrooms far exceed the threshold considered acceptable by the WHO.

To reduce benzene exposure in homes, the researchers recommend:

Consider electric or induction stoves as safer alternatives that completely eliminate the risk associated with gas combustion.

Improve ventilation by using efficient external exhaust hoods and opening windows during and after cooking.

Increase awareness of indoor air quality and more strictly monitor household emissions.

                                                                                                  

However, the authors acknowledge structural challenges: not all homes are equipped with outdoor exhaust hoods, and some residential areas close to sources of external pollution, such as industry or vehicular traffic, could hinder access to fresh air.

Although the study focused on the United States, the results could be extrapolated to countries where gas stoves are common.

The research underscored the importance of addressing the problem of indoor air pollutants as a global public health priority.

Ultimately, this evidence could drive stricter environmental regulations on residual gas pollutants and encourage the transition to cleaner technologies.