A Stanford pediatrician has warned people about the double health threat of gas stoves.

What's happening?

Dr. Lisa Patel, pediatric physician at Stanford Children's Health and co-director of the Stanford Climate, Health, and Equity Task Force, talked to CBS News Bay Area about the health hazards of gas stoves. 

She highlighted the double threat these appliances pose, referring to a 2022 Stanford-led study that found that the amount of methane gas leaking from them is equivalent to the planet-warming pollution produced by 500,000 gas-powered cars.

"We've long known that gas stoves are hazardous for indoor air quality because of the pollutants they release, but now that we know that methane gas is leaked at the levels they are from our stoves and making climate change worse…this is really a compounded problem," Patel said.

Why are gas stoves dangerous?

As Patel mentioned, gas stoves emit a number of dangerous gases into the home, threatening the health of the people living inside. 

Among them is nitrogen dioxide, a gas that is linked to asthma, heart and lung disease, and other conditions, according to the Stanford Report. A Stanford-led study published in 2024 found that gas stoves release unsafe levels of nitrogen dioxide that linger in the air for hours after burners and ovens are turned off. It added that additional research has linked gas stoves to worrisome levels of benzene, a carcinogen linked to leukemia and other cancers.

There are also consequences of the leaked methane gas, which is warming our planet. For instance, Patel mentioned increasingly dangerous wildfires as one of the risks. While wildfires are not exclusively linked to an overheating planet, their danger is supercharged by the hotter, drier conditions. 

"As global temperatures rise, we expect the size, frequency and severity of wildfires to increase in the years ahead," the Environmental Defense Fund has noted. "Parts of the world are already experiencing increases in weather conducive to wildfires. And in places from California to the Siberian Arctic, we've seen record-breaking wildfires."

The early 2025 Los Angeles blazes were one devastating example of climate-driven wildfires. In addition to the health impacts of breathing in smoke, these fires are estimated to have caused between $250 billion and $275 billion in damage and economic loss, according to AccuWeather.

Breathing in wildfire smoke can cause symptoms from respiratory irritation to asthma exacerbation, heart failure, and premature death, per the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. One study also linked wildfire smoke to a spike in emergency room visits related to mental health issues.

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What's being done about gas stoves?

A number of cities have introduced laws that outlaw gas hookups in new construction projects. San Francisco, which already has such a rule in place, recently introduced a policy update that would require the same for buildings and homes undergoing major renovations.

For homeowners who want to take matters into their own hands, an induction stovetop is a great alternative to a gas hookup. These appliances run on electricity and don't emit any unwanted gases into your home. 

Plus, they can cook food faster than their gas counterparts and are more energy efficient, so they can help save you money on your utility costs. And you can even get up to $840 off the cost of an induction range through the end of the year, thanks to federal incentives. 

Not everyone has the money for a major home renovation, though. That's where plug-in induction burners come in. These portable units start at around $50 and still offer all the benefits of an induction range. Plug-in induction burners are also great for renters.

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