You may have heard by now that so-called “natural” gas is a hot mess. It’s actually methane, which is cooking the climate and polluting the air inside your home, releasing harmful chemicals that can cause asthma and respiratory symptoms in children.
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Unfortunately, millions of Americans are entering long-term relationships with dangerous gas appliances without being warned about their harms. Gas stoves release toxic pollutants like cancer-causing benzene and asthma-causing nitrogen dioxide. The fossil fuel industry has known about the health threats of gas stoves for decades, even while telling the public that gas is clean and safe. The American Gas Association went so far as to hire Tobacco industry experts to undermine the science showing the harms of gas stoves.
That’s why the Gas Leaks Project launched Put a Label on Gas, a campaign asking the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to require gas stove manufacturers and retailers to put appropriate warning labels on gas stoves. Consumers want more accurate information about the health and environmental risks associated with gas stoves. Since the Commission is in charge of keeping consumers safe through product recalls and warning labels, it’s important that consumers understand the health risks of using gas stovetops.
State legislatures across the country are already taking steps to ensure warning labels are added to gas stoves. In May, the California Assembly passed a bill that would require all gas stoves manufactured on or after January 2025 and sold in the state to have a warning label. AB 2513 is now with the California Senate and will hopefully make California the first state in the country to recognize the consumer’s right to life-saving information.
More than 50 studies dating back to the 1970s have documented that pollution from burning gas contributes to asthma and respiratory disease in children. Studies show that children who grow up in a home with a gas stove have a 42% higher risk of developing asthma, and that gas stoves leak methane and cancer-causing benzene, even when they’re turned off. Doctors and scientists at the American Medical Association, American Lung Association, and American Public Health Association have all spoken out about these health risks.
People deserve access to accurate information about the health impacts of products they’re buying. By requiring labels on gas stoves, the Commission can help empower consumers to make informed choices that better protect their health and the environment. Don’t be gaslit by gas stoves — consider taking action by signing the petition, today!
