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

You work so hard to cook healthy meals — but could your gas stove be undermining your efforts?

Here’s what you need to know about the potential risks, plus how to keep yourself safe.

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.

>> Consider these 3 factors...