Most gas stoves in California are leaking benzene, a gas known to cause cancer, a new study reveals.
- In a study published in Thursday's issue of Environmental Science and Technology, researchers reveal California stoves are leaking more than 4 billion tons of benzene into the atmosphere every year. That's equivalent to the benzene emissions from 60,000 vehicles, according to the study.
- "What our science shows is that people in California are exposed to potentially hazardous levels of benzene from the gas that is piped into their homes," says study co-author Drew Michanowicz, a senior scientist at PSE Healthy Energy. "We hope that policymakers will consider this data when they are making policy to ensure current and future policies are health-protective in light of this new research."