Why Californians need gas stove health warning labels

OPINION – When our daughter was young, my wife and I noticed that after hours of holiday cooking, we got fuzzy-brained. Both of us are science trained, but we chalked it up to the stress and exertion of those hectic days. What we didn’t realize then is that blunting of brain function is one typical symptom attributed to breathing air pollution generated by gas stoves in our homes. Like most families, we were not aware that our gas stove could be harming our family’s health.

Roughly 70% of California homeowners cook with gas and many of them are not aware of the more than four decades of research that shows the health harms of gas stove pollution indoors. “Natural” gas stoves are the only appliances that exhaust their pollution right into our homes, and ventilation fans are typically not used and only partially protect us. Stoves and ovens easily produce levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution considered unsafe by the EPA’s one-hour exposure guidelines within minutes and increased levels of nitrogen dioxide are associated with substantial increased childhood asthma risk and other health harms. Especially in smaller homes, high levels of nitrogen dioxide from gas stoves can persist for hours, even in distant bedrooms, and this disproportionately effects People of Color and lower income. A recent study estimates that eliminating gas cooking in California homes would drop the rate of childhood asthma by 20%. This extensive knowledge has led to the American Medical Association, the American Public Health Association and Physicians for Social Responsibility publicizing the hazards of gas stoves.

Along with nitrogen dioxide, gas stoves also exhaust carbon monoxide, methane, formaldehyde, and benzene. Breathing this mix of pollutants can exacerbate chronic lung disease and increase the risk of developing leukemia. A recent Stanford study found that gas stoves can emit carcinogenic benzene levels above those found in secondhand cigarette smoke. Safe levels for these pollutants are not known.

You would think that manufacturers and retailers would need to notify us if a product poses a threat to our children’s health and how to minimize any danger. Despite all we know about their potential health harms, gas stoves do not carry a health warning label.  A current bill in the California legislature, Assembly Bill 2513, would change this. It would require gas stoves sold in California to come with a warning label describing the pollutants emitted and their potential health impacts and advising that proper ventilation can help reduce the risks of breathing in harmful gasses. This legislation doesn’t restrict the sale of gas stoves but does give consumers information to make educated purchasing decisions for their families.

Currently, consumers can’t rely on appliance store staff to provide them with this information. In February 2024, U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund released the results of a consumer survey which found that major retailers were typically failing to warn potential customers of gas stove health concerns — and safety measures that could protect their health. This survey, conducted across 11 states, found store workers told three-quarters of surveyed customers that gas stove pollution was not a concern and told 8 in 10 customers that they did not need ventilation to protect their health. Another national survey published in 2023 by Data for Progress found that consumer preferences changed significantly, especially among current gas stove users, when informed of the health risks associated with gas stoves.

Because consumers have a right to know about the potential health harms of gas stoves, the California Legislature should pass AB 2513 requiring warning labels on gas stoves. Sufficiently informed consumers can protect themselves by avoiding gas stoves or using proper ventilation. With gas stove warning labels, California can empower families with information to protect their health. With gas stove warning labels, California can empower families with information to protect their health.

Bret Andrews DO is a practicing neurologist and Board Member of San Francisco Bay Physicians for Social Responsibility.