Medical professionals support gas stove warning label

Over sixty medical professionals write in support of Assembly Bill 2513, which will provide consumers important information on the health risks associated with gas stoves.

Dear Chair Garcia,

The undersigned medical professionals write in support of Assembly Bill 2513, which will provide consumers important information on the health risks associated with gas stoves.

AB 2513 would require all gas stoves manufactured on or after January 2025 and sold in California to have a warning label detailing the health risks associated with pollutants emitted from gas stoves. 

More than four decades of research shows that gas stoves are producing dangerous air pollution indoors – increasing the risk of childhood asthma and other respiratory problems, but this risk has largely been hidden from the public.

Californians have the right to know that the fumes from gas stoves can make us sick. As medical professionals, we can only educate our patients, but labels on appliances would allow every Californian to make an informed choice about their family’s health before purchasing a stove.

A growing body of evidence on the respiratory and other health risks associated with gas stove pollution has led the American Medical Association, the American Public Health Association, and Physicians for Social Responsibility to raise the alarm, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission has recently opened an investigation into the health risks and potential opportunities to mitigate harm. 

Gas stoves emit harmful levels of nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, and benzene. A recent Stanford study found that gas stoves can emit carcinogenic benzene levels above those found in secondhand smoke.

A study from the nonprofit group RMI found that 20% of childhood asthma cases in California can be attributed to gas stove use. 

The failure to protect communities from unhealthy air quality in homes has been especially deadly for low-income communities and communities of color, which are less likely to have access to medical care. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black Americans are more than twice as likely to die from asthma as white Americans. 

Despite all these studies, lack of education and federal regulations leave consumers largely unaware of the risks associated with gas stove cooking. 

In February 2024, U.S. PIRG 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, three-quarters of survey takers were told that gas stove pollution was not a concern, and eight in 10 were told that ventilation was unnecessary to protect health. 

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

This data underscores exactly why the California Legislature should pass AB 2513 to require warning labels on gas stoves. Consumers will make decisions to protect their families health — whether by avoiding gas stoves or using proper ventilation – when they are properly informed. Currently, consumers cannot count on home improvement and appliance store staff to reliably provide them with this information. Gas stove warning labels are a simple step that California can take to empower families to protect their health. 

Californians deserve to know about pollution in their home. We urge your aye vote on AB 2513.

Sincerely,