Germs of cancer from a gas leak in the family

If a household gas stove leaks, people are at risk of being exposed to dozens of pollutant compounds, including cancer-causing agents such as benzene.

'Many people use natural gas because they think it's clean. Our research demonstrates that while gas may not produce as many pollutants as coal or oil, it is not completely clean," said Dr Curtis Nordgaard, a scientist with the PSE Healthy Energy Research Institute in Oakland, California, USA, gave a speech.

Dr. Curtis Nordgaard and colleagues took 234 gas samples from the kitchens of 69 homes in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

They detected 296 compounds in gas samples, including 21 air pollutants according to US Environmental Protection Agency standards. One of them is benzene.

Benzene in natural gas is the biggest concern because it is a carcinogen and is present in 95 percent of the gas samples the team analyzed, according to Curtis Nordgaard.

'A number of other substances can cause cancer, but benzene is really the most worrisome. We know benzene causes leukemia and lymphoma,' explains Curtis Nordgaard.

Concentrations of dangerous contaminants in natural gas are seasonally dependent, and concentrations peak in winter, according to the analysis.

Dozens of air pollutants according to US Environmental Protection Agency standards exist in the gas.

Another study by the Environmental Working Group in the US showed that most gas stoves in the home leak gas.

'In many cases, the loss of gas from the gas stove is not large enough for people in the house to detect the leak. That's worrisome,' explains Tasha Stoiber, a scientist with the Environmental Working Group.

The gaseous compounds that leak from the kitchen can silently contaminate the kitchen space and the house.

'When we tested the safety of gas stoves during the study, we found that 5% of stoves leaked gas large enough for homeowners to consider repairing the stove,' Dr. Curtis said.

Curtis Nordgaard and Tasha Stoiber recommend that people replace gas stoves with electric ones to increase safety.

'People who are using gas stoves should turn on the hood when cooking and make sure that the hood directs the air out rather than letting it re-circulate through the stove,' says Curtis. Meanwhile, Tasha Stoiber noted that people should open windows when turning on gas stoves to allow air to circulate easily.