State lawmakers in California, Illinois, and New York are proposing legislation to put warning labels on gas and propane stoves to warn consumers of the health risks to people and pets, which include asthma and leukemia, Politico says.

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“Appliance manufacturers behind major household brands like Samsung and LG are pushing back, accusing proponents of demonizing the fossil fuel for political gain and succeeding in weakening some of the warnings. It’s a new skirmish in the fight over regulating gas stoves, an effort Republicans have cast as a symbol of Democratic overreach in addressing climate change,” Politico continues. “But backers insist they’re not trying to stamp out the stoves. While the broader battle over stoves centers on natural gas’ contribution to climate change, the labeling fight is focused on educating consumers about the fuel’s indoor health effects.”

“We’re not banning gas stoves,” said Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, a California Democrat who authored the state’s warning label proposal. “We’re just basically requiring them to be labeled, warning people about how to best use them with good ventilation.”

The results of a recent research study reveal there’s reason to be concerned beyond the political debates.

A new study by Science Advances shows both propane and gas stoves emit toxic levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2).

“Without an outside-venting range hood on and with either one burner or one burner and one oven on, concentrations in over half of the kitchens, living rooms, and bedrooms tested exceeded the [EPA’s] 1-hour ambient exposure benchmark of 100 parts per billion volume (ppbv) and the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) 1-hour (i.e., short-term) exposure guideline. … Surveys show that range hoods are used only 15 to 39% of the time,” the study found.

The study was “conducted at Stanford University by environmental scientist Rob Jackson and graduate researcher Yannai Kashtan,” notes Time magazine. “Jackson has been on the trail of the gas-stove problem for a while now—having co-authored a 2022 paper showing that the methane leaking from U.S. residential stoves is equivalent to the emissions of half a million cars a year.

“Even when range hoods are used, they are not equally effective. In the study, they reduced NO2 levels by between 10% and 70%, depending on whether the hood’s fan is on low or high and if its opening is large enough to suck up the emissions from every burner. And that’s only for the most effective hoods—the ones that vent gasses outside. The kind that recirculate and filter air and then stream it back into the kitchen do a much poorer job.”

As state legislative sessions continue, the proposed language for the warning labels is relaxing, Politico says.

“The label language is softening as each state’s legislative session progresses. New York’s proposed warning originally noted that components of natural gas, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide, are ‘poisonous’ and could ‘lead to the development of asthma, especially in children.’ Lawmakers removed those phrases June 3, after the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) pushed back on the asthma link in particular.”

The AHAM has “asked for all references to specific gases, illnesses and agency findings to be taken out so the label would warn only of ‘gases, odors, particles and byproducts from heated food, which can affect indoor air quality,’” Politico says. “The group’s preferred label would also advise ‘appropriate ventilation or filtration in the area when cooking appliances are in use,’ rather than New York’s warning that ‘properly installed and operating ventilation to the outdoors can reduce but not eliminate emissions.’”

“We’re an industry that has been attacked over and over again over gas, which is a political agenda,” said AHAM spokesperson Jill Notini.

Advocates of the warning labels are primarily focused on health risks but are also concerned about methane emissions.

As compromises over wording are reached, Politico notes that advocates expect the bills to move forward.