44 | September 2022
T
he case against using nat-
ural gas to fuel home appli-
ances just got stronger.
Researchers at Harvard's
Center for Climate, Health and the
Global Environment (C-Change) have
found that natural gas used in home
stoves contains "at least 21 hazard-
ous air pollutants that may impact air
quality and health." Among the pol-
lutants identified in the study, titled
"Home is Where the Pipeline Ends,"
are benzene and toluene. Long-term
exposure to high levels of benzene
can cause cancer. Mild exposure to
toluene vapors even in small amounts
may cause headache, dizziness,
drowsiness or nausea, while more ex-
tensive exposure can lead to irregular
heartbeat and even death, says the
Centers for Disease Control.
The pollutants were detected in
unburned natural gas samples from
69 unique kitchen stoves and build-
ing pipelines across Greater Boston
between December 2019 and May
2021. That the samples came from
unburned gas is notable because a
Stanford study recently found that
leaks from stoves not being used are
much higher than expected. In fact,
the Stanford researchers found that
gas stoves leak more gas when not in
use, or when getting turned on or off
than when they're in use.
Natural gas has raised red flags
even before these stove studies were
conducted because it consists mainly
of methane, a potent greenhouse gas
that is 84 times more damaging to the
climate than carbon dioxide over time.
Now this so-called "clean" fuel is also
coming under fire because it is poten-
tially so toxic to indoor air.
Gas Stoves: "Home is Where the Pipeline Ends"
By Diane MacEachern
"It is well-established that natu-
ral gas is a major source of methane
that's driving climate change," said
Drew Michanowicz, visiting scientist at
Harvard Chan C-CHANGE and senior
scientist at PSE Healthy Energy. "But
most people haven't really considered
that our homes are where the pipeline
ends and that when natural gas leaks it
can contain health-damaging air pollut-
ants in addition to climate pollutants."
The researchers also warned that
the leaks that are occurring aren't
being detected day-to-day because
they're usually too small to smell. That
doesn't make them less dangerous,
which is why scientists recommend
that natural gas distributors add a
stronger "odorant" to the gas so more
leaks can be detected sooner. Addi-
tionally, the study's authors note that
requiring gas utility providers and state
