Opinion: California’s gas stoves should come with a warning label

When it comes to buying things, many people reasonably assume that products on the market are safe. You’d think, under our consumer protection laws, that manufacturers and retailers would need to notify you if a product posed a threat to your health and how to avoid or minimize those dangers.

That’s not the case for a common kitchen appliance — the gas stove — that, given all we know, should come with a warning label. A bill in the California State Legislature could make that happen soon.

Roughly 40 million American households cook on gas stoves. In California, about 70% of homeowners do. While you’d hope our home appliances are safe, more than four decades of research shows that gas stoves produce dangerous air pollution indoors. That’s led to the American Medical Association, the American Public Health Association and Physicians for Social Responsibility speaking out about the hazards.

Gas stoves emit harmful levels of nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, formaldehyde and benzene. Just running a stove for mere minutes with poor ventilation can lead to indoor concentrations of nitrogen dioxide that exceed the EPA’s air quality standard for outdoors. Breathing these pollutants can exacerbate preexisting respiratory illnesses and increase the risk of developing leukemia and asthma, especially in children. In fact, a recent Stanford study found that gas stoves can emit carcinogenic benzene levels above those found in secondhand smoke.

Yet, most of this isn’t common knowledge. When you go to the store to purchase a gas stove, there’s little to suggest the extent of the health issues involved with the appliances.

Consumers deserve the truth when it comes to the danger of cooking with gas. Ideally, every gas stove manufacturer would affix a clear, visible warning label so that every consumer can see the risks and how to mitigate those risks — for example, by always using ducted overhead ventilation whenever you use your gas cooktop or oven.

By now it’s clear that manufacturers won’t do this on their own. That’s why I introduced Assembly Bill 2513 to require gas stoves sold in California to come with a warning label describing the pollutants emitted and their potential health impacts and advising that proper ventilation can help reduce the risks of breathing in harmful gasses. The legislation doesn’t restrict the sale of gas stoves but does give consumers important information to make educated purchasing decisions for their family.

Currently, consumers cannot count on home improvement and appliance store staff to reliably provide them with this information. In February 2024, U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund released the results of a consumer survey that found major retailers were largely failing to warn potential customers of gas stove health concerns — and safety measures that could protect their health. In a survey conducted across 11 states, store workers told three-quarters of survey takers that gas stove pollution was not a concern and told eight in 10 customers that they did not need ventilation to protect their health.

A national survey published in 2023 by Data for Progress found that consumer preferences changed, especially among current gas stove users, when informed of the health risks associated with gas stove emissions. Overall, consumer preference for gas stoves dropped from 36% to 27%. Among current gas stove owners, the shift was more dramatic, from 60% indicating they would purchase a gas stove again, down to 46%.

This data underscores why the California Legislature should pass AB 2513 to require warning labels on gas stoves. Properly informed consumers will protect their families’ health — whether by avoiding gas stoves or using proper ventilation. Gas stove warning labels are a simple step that California can take to empower families to protect their health.

Assemblymember Gail Pellerin represents the 28th District.