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Are Gas Stoves Bad for Your Health? 3 Things to Consider

February 11, 2025

You work so hard to cook healthy meals — it’d be a real shame if your kitchen was trying to kill you. Yet recently, gas stoves have come under scrutiny for just that, specifically due to the chemicals they emit.

If you own a gas stove, just how worried should you be?

Scary stuff first: When in use, gas stoves create air pollutants.

That blue flame doesn’t just give off heat. It also gives off potentially harmful byproducts like carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and benzene. In Europe and the United Kingdom, a recent study even linked gas stoves to asthma and other respiratory issues.

“Anything that creates a flame can emit toxic substances. And that can create problems if you’re exposed to a lot of it,” says Steven Thau, MD, division chief of Pulmonary Medicine at Hartford HealthCare Medical Group.

The key is just how much exposure you have.

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Consider these 3 factors.

“When you’re dealing with fumes, concentration matters, ventilation matters, the space you’re in matters,” says Dr. Thau. “For gas stoves, fumes are more of an issue when you’re directly standing over the stove.”

Consider:

1. How big is your kitchen and home?

In general, the bigger the living space, the lower your exposure to any fumes.

So if you have a spacious kitchen and home, your risk naturally goes down. If you live in a small studio apartment, you should pay more attention to precautions.

2. What are your cooking habits?

If you routinely hover over the stovetop for long stretches, that’s one thing. “Chances are, if you’re feeling the heat, you’re feeling the fumes,” says Dr. Thau.

On the other hand: “If your favorite thing to make is reservations?” says Dr. Thau. “Fumes shouldn’t be a problem.”

3. Was your stove installed by a qualified specialist?

The correct setup will protect you from gas leaks — so this is not a job for a general handyman.
If you’re not sure who installed your stove or the last time it was serviced, you can hire a licensed plumber or a qualified appliance technician to check it. They have the tools and training to safely identify and fix any gas leaks.

> Related: Are House Plants Good for Your Health?

Even if your exposure is high, you can limit it.

“For those of us with gas stoves, the main thing is having good ventilation,” says Dr. Thau.

• If you have a range hood, always use it when you’re cooking. Sure, it’s loud. But it’s designed to suck away all those fumes (plus steam, heat and tiny grease particles). If you don’t already have one, consider having one installed, ideally to vent outside.
• If a range hood isn’t possible, ventilate the old-fashioned way. When you’re using your stove, crack a window or door to the outside. This is particularly important on days when you’re really cooking up a storm.
• Consider an air quality monitor for your home. Look for one that tracks CO2 levels. It won’t specifically measure pollutants like benzene or nitrogen oxides, which require lab analysis. But it can at least give an idea of how your stove impacts your home’s air quality.

Still worried about gas stoves?

The harsh truth is this: In every moment, we are confronted with health risks from every direction — from our genetics to our personal habits to the environment we live in. These risks come in obvious ways, like not wearing a bike helmet, and sneakier ways, like chemicals in our water bottles.

Ultimately, most of us have to pick our battles. You get to decide where gas stoves rank for you.

“If you’re going to dump your gas stove, but you’re still going to vape or smoke, then you’re missing the forest for the trees,” says Dr. Thau. “We’re exposed to many other things that are much more dangerous.”

Another way to put it in perspective?

“I’ve never not had a gas stove,” says Dr. Thau.