Gas stoves in kitchens pose a risk to public health and the planet, research finds

Gas-burning stoves in kitchens across America may pose a greater risk to the planet and public health than previously thought, new research suggests. 

The appliances release far more of the potent planet-warming gas methane than the Environmental Protection Agency estimates, Stanford University scientists found in a study published Thursday in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. The appliances also emit significant amounts of nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant that can trigger asthma and other respiratory conditions.

Scientists and climate activists have increasingly urged homeowners to switch to all-electric stoves, water boilers and other appliances, even as the natural gas industry fights in New York and across the country to keep the signature blue flames of gas-burning stoves as a staple in American homes.

The researchers in Thursday’s study measured emissions from stoves in 53 homes across seven California counties. They used their findings to estimate that methane emissions from gas stoves in the United States have a comparable climate impact to about 500,000 gas-powered cars driven for a year, Jackson said.

The researchers also found that more than three-quarters of the methane emissions occurred when the gas stoves were turned off, suggesting that leaks persist even when the appliances are not being used for cooking or heating. Emissions of nitrogen dioxide, meanwhile, were more closely correlated with the amount of gas burned.

“Some people have an affinity for gas stoves,” he said, “but if we could just get them to try electric cooktops, they would never go back.”