The science is overwhelmingly clear: Gas stoves are a source of air pollution located inside your home. They can emit climate pollution, as well as pollution linked to asthma and other health problems. They can release pollution when turned on, and even when they’re off. In some cases, the exposure to pollution is low; in others, the exposure rivals what can occur outside, such as from traffic on busy intersections and highways.
While the scientific studies on this subject span continents and decades, the conventional wisdom is that these appliances, found in about a third of U.S. households, are perfectly safe. “Gas stoves have gotten pretty much a free pass as a source of air pollution in homes,” says Drew Michanowicz, senior scientist at the nonprofit research institute PSE Healthy Energy.
It’s a disconnect driven in part by successful marketing from the gas industry, which pitches this fossil fuel as a “natural” product and sells Americans on gas stoves as the best for cooking — through television ads, product placement, social media influencers and even by crashing Nextdoor neighborhood chats.
