Correspondence on “Home is Where the Pipeline Ends: Characterization of Volatile Organic Compounds Present in Natural Gas at the Point of the Residential End User”

In the United States, the basic functions of cooking, heating, cooling, and hot water are often powered by natural gas. However, gas is responsible for the majority (81–87%) of carbon emissions generated by buildings. (1) Moreover, cooking with gas contributes to significant indoor air pollution. (2) A recent study published in Environmental Science & Technology further uncovered the presence of multiple volatile organic compounds in unburned gas from kitchen stoves, providing the most comprehensive documentation to date of health-damaging pollutants stemming from gas stoves. (3) Among these pollutants was benzene, which decreases immune function and is a known carcinogen. Read more about JPB Senior Fellow Diana Hernandez