Gas Stoves May Soon Come With a Warning Label in California

The gas stove debate is about to get reignited in California.

In September, state lawmakers advanced a bill that would require new gas stoves to carry a warning label about potential health and environmental risks.  

“This bill would prohibit a person from selling, attempting to sell, or offering to sell to a consumer in this state a gas stove, as defined, that is manufactured or sold online on or after January 1, 2025, or sold in a store on or after January 1, 2026, unless the gas stove bears an adhesive label and, for online sales, unless the internet website prominently posts a warning, that sets forth a specified statement relating to air pollutants that can be released by gas stoves, as specified,” the bill reads.

The bill, introduced by Assembly Member Gail Pellerin, would mean that the state of California would be the first in the nation to require such a label. 

As for the wording of the label, it would read as follows:

“WARNING: Gas stoves can release nitrogen dioxide, benzene, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and other harmful pollutants into the air, which can be toxic to people and pets. Stove emissions, especially from gas stoves, are associated with increased respiratory disease. Young children, people with asthma, and people with heart or lung disease are especially vulnerable to the toxic effects of combustion pollutants. To help reduce the risk of breathing harmful gasses, allow ventilation in the area and turn on a vent hood when gas-powered stoves and ranges are in use.”

Are gas stoves actually all that harmful?

But how bad are gas stoves, really? In 2022, scientists from Stanford released a study showing that every single stove it tested leaked methane gas, even when turned off. And, as the researchers added, “annual methane emissions from all gas stoves in U.S. homes have a climate impact comparable to the annual carbon dioxide emissions of 500,000 cars.” 

In 2023, Scientific American also did a deep-dive into the health implications of using gas stoves and also noted that when a gas stove is turned on, it creates nitrogen oxides, a known irritant that can be harmful to human lungs. The publication also pointed to a joint study by the EPA and Duke University, which found the amount of nitrogen dioxide exposure one would have to a gas stove increases the odds of childhood respiratory illness by approximately 20%. 

To really see the difference, Darby Jack, a professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University, partnered with the environmental justice group We Act to swap gas stoves with induction stoves in 20 affordable housing units in Buffalo and the Bronx and subsequently monitored the air quality in each. Jack’s team found the levels of nitrogen dioxide concentration increased by an average of 197 ppb when cooking with gas, which the school explained in a release about the findings is “nearly double the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 100 ppb outdoor limit above, which is classified as ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups.'” However, over a 10-month period with the new electric stoves, the homes involved in the experiment saw a 35% reduction in daily nitrogen dioxide. Perhaps most telling of all, the school shared, “Participants also prefer their new stoves to their older gas version, citing ease of use and cooking quality.” 

Does that mean electric and induction stoves are completely safe?

Regardless of whether the warning label passes or not, the California Air Resources Board suggests households ensure they have proper ventilation whenever using their gas stoves by opening windows or using a range hood extractor.

However, representatives from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) told  NPR the organization opposes the health warning legislation as it could send a mixed message. 

“If we want to talk about people’s health and indoor air quality, then let’s talk about that. If we want to talk about fossil fuel versus electrification, then we need to talk about that,” Kevin Messner, AHAM’s executive vice president and chief policy officer, told NPR. As Messner stated, both gas and electric stoves require proper ventilation while in use, and the label could confuse consumers, leading them to believe you don’t need the same safety requirements with an electric range. 

“So if you go to, let’s say, a retailer and you see a gas cooking product with a warning or information that says you should use ventilation,” Messner said. “Then right next to it, you have an electric appliance or an induction [stove] that does not have that warning — this is common sense that you’re going to think, ‘I don’t need to use ventilation for the electric appliance.”

But in early 2024, the Public Interest Research Group revealed the findings of its study, which sent secret shoppers to 62 retailers in 11 states to ask about gas stoves. Out of all the visits, the findings noted that “76% of sales associates said that gas stoves were perfectly safe or that they were not aware of health issues with gas stove emissions.” Additionally, 80% of store associates said “externally venting range hoods were not necessary to protect health.”  

And really, this is all Pellerin is after — for people to have all the information they need to make the choices that are right for them. As she shared with NPR about her bill, “I think this is just important for us to have transparency and inform consumers so they can make the decision that’s right for their family.” 

Gov. Gavin Newsom now has the bill on his desk and has until the end of the month to decide if he will sign it into law.