Researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health gathered samples from 69 kitchen stoves in Boston area and uncovered 296 unique chemical compounds, 21 of which were considered to be hazardous air pollutants—these include toluene, xylene, hexane, benzene and ethylbenzene. Interestingly, they also discovered that concentrations of these toxic chemicals in natural gas changed based on location and time of year. Results showed winter to have the highest concentration. Furthermore, researchers found that small leaks may be unable to be detected by smell alone. The question on all of our minds is: How hazardous is it to our health, and should we be concerned?
How Worried Should We Be About These Chemicals?
“This study is well done and confirms previous studies showing that chemicals that are known to be toxic leak from gas stoves,” says Dr. Luz Claudio, MD, Professor of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Not only are some of these chemicals contributors to climate change, like methane, but they can also affect human health directly. The finding that volatile organic compounds leak significantly from gas stoves is concerning, as exposure to them has been linked to diseases such as cancer, mainly in occupational settings.” In terms of the level of concern, it is hard to say how worried a particular person “should” be because it is difficult to determine the level of risk from exposure to gas stove fumes for a particular person or family, Dr. Claudio explains. Dr. Kelly Johnson-Arbor, MD, a medical toxicology physician at National Capital Poison Center, says the results of this study are interesting but don’t really allow us to draw any conclusions about how these exposures affect our health. “Close to half of all homes in the United States use natural gas as an energy source. This means that nearly half of us are being exposed to these chemicals on a regular basis, but it doesn’t mean that the chemicals are causing us to suffer from certain diseases,” Dr. Johnson-Arbor states. “Exposure to benzene is associated with certain types of leukemias, but it’s clear that half of the population is not being diagnosed with leukemia. So we really don’t know the clinical significance of these study results right now.”
How to Protect Yourself
The good news is there are ways to avoid toxic chemicals. “As a professional in this area, I believe that whenever possible, we should use the precautionary principle to reduce our exposures to environmental pollutants that can be harmful to our health,” says Dr. Claudio. “If replacing the stove is not immediately possible, increasing ventilation can help reduce exposure to these chemicals in the home.” Additionally, an interesting finding in this study was that these chemical exposures were nearly eight times higher in the winter months than during the summer. This may be due to people ventilating their homes (by opening windows or doors) more frequently during warmer months, Dr. Johnson-Arbor explains. To prevent unnecessary exposure to these chemicals, people who use natural gas as an energy source may want to ventilate their homes more thoroughly or frequently. While it’s still unclear just how harmful these gases are, it’s a great first step. Next up: Is Air Pollution to Blame for Your Bad Hair Day? A New Study Says Maybe So.
Sources
Environmental Science and Technology: “Home is Where the Pipeline Ends: Characterization of Volatile Organic Compounds Present in Natural Gas at the Point of the Residential End User”Dr. Luz Claudio, Professor of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiKelly Johnson-Arbor, MD, a medical toxicology physician at National Capital Poison Center
