The short answer
Gas and propane stoves can release benzene, a known cancer-causing chemical, into indoor air. A 2025 modeling study estimated raised cancer risk in homes with medium to high stove use and inadequate ventilation. These are modeled estimates, not counts of cancer cases, and ventilation lowered the risk.
Burning gas or propane can release benzene, a known carcinogen, indoors.
A 2025 modeling study found raised estimated risk with medium to high stove use and inadequate ventilation.
These are modeled estimates, not counts of cancer cases.
Ventilation reduced the risk in that study.
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The claim
News coverage and studies have raised the question of whether gas stoves cause cancer. The concern is not the flame itself. It is benzene, a chemical that can form when gas or propane burns. The National Cancer Institute says benzene exposure increases the risk of leukemia and other blood disorders.
What the research shows
Research has found that gas and propane stoves can raise benzene levels in indoor air. A 2025 modeling study looked at the 6.3 million U.S. residents exposed to the top 5 percent of benzene-emitting gas stoves. It found that in homes with medium to high stove use and inadequate ventilation, the estimated added lifetime cancer risk often exceeded the WHO threshold, and it was higher for children than for adults.
Benzene matters because the National Cancer Institute says exposure to benzene increases the risk of leukemia and other blood disorders. Most benzene exposure in the United States, though, comes from tobacco smoke. About half of the country's total exposure comes from cigarette smoke, and among people who smoke it is about 90 percent.
Gas stoves also give off nitrogen dioxide, which the Environmental Protection Agency says can trigger asthma. That is a separate problem from cancer, but it is part of why indoor air gets attention. The EPA advises using an exhaust fan vented to the outdoors over a gas stove.
Putting the risk in perspective
These findings describe modeled risk across a population under set conditions. They are not a promise that any one person's stove will cause cancer. The study looked at the highest-emitting stoves, and its non-cancer outcomes were below levels of concern in every scenario. It found that ventilation reduced the risk, and that high-efficiency vented hoods notably reduced benzene exposure in kitchens.
The bottom line
Gas stoves can release benzene indoors, so this is a real air-quality issue rather than a myth. But the research is modeled risk, not a count of cancer cases, and ventilation lowers exposure. A practical step is to run a hood vented to the outdoors, as the EPA advises. Anyone who prefers can also cook with electric or induction.
Sources
Common questions
Do gas stoves cause cancer?
Gas stoves can release benzene, a known carcinogen, indoors. Modeling research estimates raised risk with heavy use and poor ventilation, but these are estimates, not counts of cancer cases. Ventilation lowered the risk.
What is the concern exactly?
Burning gas or propane can produce benzene, and NCI says benzene exposure increases the risk of leukemia — a reason to keep indoor air clean.
How can I lower exposure?
The EPA advises using an exhaust fan vented to the outdoors over a gas stove. A 2025 modeling study found ventilation reduced benzene exposure.
Should I replace my gas stove?
That is a personal choice. Ventilation helps; some people also prefer electric or induction cooking.
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Sources last checked: 2026-07-13 what this meansLast updated: 2026-10-16Next planned review: 2027-01-13
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Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes, and this is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Editorial review complete — This page completed Cancer Explained's editorial checks (sources, safety, plain language, duplication). It has not been reviewed by a physician or other healthcare professional.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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