Natural gas-powered stoves in California were linked to potentially cancerous pollutants in research published this week by the Environmental Science & Technology journal.
According to the study of 185 samples from 159 stoves from seven regions across the state, researchers found 12 hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) “with significant variability across region and gas utility.”
HAPs are defined as pollutants that are “known to cause cancer and other serious health impacts,” by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Researchers who contributed to the recent study said the presence of HAPs “entrained in end-use natural gas is an understudied source of human health risks.”
Even stoves and ovens not in use can cause leakage and result in indoor benzene concentrations that can exceed the California Office of Environmental Health’s Hazard Assessment 8-h Reference Exposure Level guidelines and are comparable to environmental tobacco smoke.
They also found that “regional benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and total xylenes (BTEX) concentrations in end-use NG ranged from 1.6–25 ppmv,” and “benzene alone was detected in 99% of samples.” Estimated statewide benzene emissions of 4,200 kg per year are not included in state inventories, researchers said.
“This study supports the need to further improve our understanding of leaked downstream NG as a source of health risk,” according to the researchers. Going forward “electrification programs likely entail additional and unaccounted-for health [benefits] and associated long-term cost savings,” they added.
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