Common appliance raises kids' cancer risk nearly twice as much as adults' — and it's in 2 out of 5 US homes
Let's clear the air.
Benzene, a harmful chemical found in gasoline, cigarette smoke and paint strippers, is a known carcinogen. Long-term exposure to high levels of benzene has been linked to leukemia and other blood-related cancers.
Now, a new study out of Stanford University reports that benzene-caused cancer risks are significantly higher — especially for children — in homes with medium to high usage of gas stoves and inadequate ventilation.
4 Long-term exposure to high levels of benzene has been linked to leukemia and other blood-related cancers.
Alex Shared/peopleimages.com – stock.adobe.com
'Natural gas and propane stoves emit benzene, a known carcinogen through combustion,' the researchers explained in the forthcoming July issue of the Journal of Hazardous Materials.
'To our knowledge, ours is the first study to assess the carcinogenic health risks from benzene formed during gas combustion from stoves, as well as leukemia cases attributable to gas stove use.'
Gas stoves have come under fire in recent years as studies suggested they emit pollutants like nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, benzene and formaldehyde, which can trigger asthma and potentially increase the risk of heart disease and other health problems.
The stoves have fueled heated debate about health and environmental concerns and government overreach with limitations or bans.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January that 'safeguards the American people's freedom to choose from a variety of goods and appliances,' including gas stoves.
The order followed a watered-down rule from the Biden administration requiring some gas and electric stoves to be more efficient.
4 Gas stoves have fueled heated debate about health and environmental concerns and government overreach with limitations or bans.
Getty Images
Other restrictions have had more teeth. In 2023, New York became the first state to ban the installation of new gas stoves in most new homes and buildings. It's set to take effect in 2026 for buildings under seven stories and in 2029 for larger structures.
NYC also has a ban on natural gas in new buildings — the ordinance was upheld in federal court in March.
Meanwhile, research on the potential effects of gas stoves continues. About 38% of American households, or roughly 40 million homes, have these appliances.
Stanford scientists say that 6.3 million Americans are exposed to the top 5 % highest benzene-emitting gas stoves.
They measured emissions in 87 homes across 14 counties in Colorado and California for a 2023 study.
4 Benzene levels were compared in different rooms for the new Stanford study.
Garg et al., Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2025
For this new study, they simulated different cooking scenarios involving varying burner intensities and oven temperatures with minimal or no ventilation.
When there's no ventilation, benzene exposure in kitchens and living rooms is highest in smaller apartments, followed by manufactured homes, attached homes and detached homes, the researchers found.
'Particularly concerning were the elevated risks in bedrooms, where people typically spend the most time,' they wrote.
4 This kitchen could use windows to help clear the air from the stove.
Imagenet – stock.adobe.com
Their analysis also suggested that children's cancer risk from gas stove exposure is 1.85 times higher than adults.
The researchers noted that children generally breathe faster and take in more air — and therefore more pollutants — relative to their smaller body size.
'Since there is no safe limit for benzene's carcinogenic effects, it is crucial to further evaluate the health risks associated with these effects,' the study read.
Ventilation plays a key role in reducing benzene concentrations — the researchers recommend opening windows and using good-quality outdoor vent hoods. Homeowners could also switch to electric stoves.
'The study underscores the importance of addressing combustion-related indoor air pollutants to protect public health, particularly in households with limited ventilation,' the study authors wrote.
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Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Goodbye, dad bod: Weight loss medications are changing fathers' physiques — and their relationships with their kids.
Neal Bland has done Ironman competitions and marathons. He's given countless personal training sessions over the course of his life and has always prided himself on staying in shape, especially given that obesity runs in his family. But by age 52, time and genetics had begun to catch up with Bland (who asked that we not use his real last name for privacy reasons). His blood pressure and blood sugar were climbing, his body mass index was hovering in the low 30s, and his joints were aching. Then, during a photo shoot with his wife last year, the photographer told Bland he 'looked good for a dad bod.' Bland knew the photographer had 'meant it as a compliment,' he tells Yahoo Life, 'but it really stuck.' He was still maintaining a rigorous diet and exercise regimen at the time, but it wasn't working for him. So, in March of 2024, he started on the GLP-1 medication tirzepatide. He's lost 45 pounds in a phase of his life he's dubbed his 'dad bod reboot.' 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Impressed with their progress, Rasmussen tried the new class of weight loss drugs too. Within a year, he dropped 80 pounds. 'Being there for my family was the goal,' he says. Not only can Rasmussen now join the family ski trips, but hiking and spending time outdoors are day-to-day ways he bonds with his kids. His weight loss 'has definitely allowed us as a family to do more healthy activities,' Rasmussen says. Plus, his good habits have rubbed off on his children. Desserts, once a staple, are reserved for special occasions, and the household's midnight snacking has all but disappeared. Rasmussen's new body has also allowed him to get back in touch with his fashion sense. 'I like to look good and dress well, but when you're big, [that's] difficult,' he says. Now that he's lost weight, 'being able to dress with purpose in the morning has probably been one of the best things for me and my mental health,' says Rasmussen. And he's not the only one who's noticed his new look. 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'But my genetics eventually outran my lifestyle,' he says. Even with the same routines in place, Bland gained weight in his early 50s, saw his A1C and blood pressure rise, and had inflammation in his hips and knees. And Bland admits that vanity was also a factor. The shirtless man in his vacation photos no longer looked like the version of himself he expected to see. 'I gained about 35 pounds in 10 years; it was the classic 'man-o-pause,'' he says. Though he didn't meet the clinical qualifications for brand-name GLP-1 medications, Bland tried compounded tirzepatide, suspecting that it would not only help him keep weight off but also reduce the inflammation in his joints. Once he started the medication, 'it was literally like somebody flipped a switch,' says Bland. The food noise (constant, intrusive thoughts about food) disappeared. He no longer ate just because he was bored. The joint pain was barely noticeable, and his workout recovery time improved. He also started to look more like himself in gym selfies. Bland didn't initially tell his children that he was taking GLP-1 medications. But one of his adult sons noticed that Bland was looking pretty shredded in some of his photos; in fact, he was a bit concerned. He told his father, 'You've lost so much weight and went from really fluffy to really not. Are you sure you're not ... taking PEDs,' meaning performance-enhancing drugs, recalls Bland. Though Bland, now 53, has been taking testosterone replacement therapy for years, that and the GLP-1 have allowed him to return to the weight and energy levels of his younger years. And he's now switched to a very low maintenance dose of tirzepatide to make sure he doesn't lose too much weight. 'It's been a little bit of a return to what they were used to when they were kids,' he says of his new — or, maybe more accurately, restored — bod. 'And I feel like I'm back to the person that my wife married,' Bland adds.
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an hour ago
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Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi: Budget debate in Washington ignores the human cost in Illinois
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USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Medicaid churn: How working Americans could mistakenly lose coverage under Trump tax bill
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They say mandating a Medicaid work requirement − combined with more frequent eligibility checks − would create an administrative nightmare that drops coverage for many who qualify for the public health insurance program for low-income and disabled residents. What is Medicaid churn? Medicaid rolls vary from month to month as people lose eligibility due to a new job, a raise or other income source that disqualifies them for coverage. A job loss or change in life circumstances could make someone newly eligible. The constant change of Medicaid rolls is what health policy experts call churn. A person who temporarily loses coverage due to a paperwork issue or mistake then must again sign up. "Churn is what happens when these eligibility systems become difficult to navigate," said Jennifer Tolbert, deputy director of the program on Medicaid and the uninsured for KFF, a health policy nonprofit. The federal government requires state Medicaid programs to check enrollees eligibility once a year. The Trump tax cut legislation would mandate states double eligibility checks to twice a year. And states would have the added duty of verifying a person's employment or exemption status. The legislation, which passed the House and awaits Senate approval, mandates Medicaid recipients who are "able-bodied" adults without children work 80 hours per month or qualify for an exemption such as being a student, caregiver or having a disability. The bill defines able-bodied as people who are not medically certified as physically or unfit for employment. The legislation also would strip coverage from undocumented immigrants who get Medicaid through state-funded programs. Health policy experts say more frequent eligibility checks and red tape will add administrative costs and cut off people who qualify but fall through the cracks due to administrative miscues. "People are going to have to document work status or exemption status multiple times a year, and at each point there's a risk that someone who is eligible could lose coverage," Tolbert said. Thousands lost coverage under Arkansas work requirement During the first Trump administration, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services gave states the option of implementing a work requirement for nondisabled adults on Medicaid. Arkansas' work requirement cut more than 18,000 residents from Medicaid within the first seven months of the program. People were removed often because people were unaware of paperwork requirements to keep their coverage, research shows and analysts said. In April, a study by researchers from the Urban Institute and Loyola University Chicago found the Arkansas uninsured rate jumped 7.4 percentage points among low-income adults age 30 to 49 after the state's work requirement began. The policy's impact on employment among that age group was "negative, small and statistically insignificant," the study said. Arkansas adults who didn't have access to the internet at home were disproportionately harmed by the policy, a sign adults might've had trouble accessing the state's online portal to report work histories or exemptions, the Urban Institute said. If the work requirement for Medicaid recipients is adopted nationwide, health experts say millions of working poor Americans will inevitably lose coverage. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated 10.9 million Americans would lose health insurance coverage through 2034 under the legislation. Most would lose coverage due to the Medicaid work requirement and the twice-a-year eligibility checks, but about 3.1 million would become uninsured from tweaks to Affordable Care Act enrollment, according to a KFF analysis. The ranks of the uninsured could grow larger if Congress doesn't extend the COVID-19 pandemic-era tax credits that have made ACA plans more affordable for consumers. If the tax credits expire and Congress passes the current version of the Trump tax bill, as many as 16 million Americans would lose coverage , according to CBO. "Coverage loss from work requirements should actually be very small," said Kathy Hempstead, a senior policy officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "But we anticipate it will be very large, because people will not be able to comply with the requirements and will lose their coverage." Dr. Oz: Medicaid spending is 'crippling the system' The Trump administration's top Medicaid official has defended the House legislation as a necessary step to slow spending for the federal health program that covers nearly 80 million low-income and disabled Americans. In a June 4 interview with Fox Business, Dr. Oz challenged Medicaid recipients who would face work requirements should "prove that you matter." Oz, the Trump-appointed administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said the work requirement asks "able-bodied individuals who are able to go back to work at least try to get a job or volunteer or take care of a loved one who needs help or go back into school. Do something to show you have agency over your future." In a Fox News interview posted on the social media site X, Oz said Medicaid spending has surged 50% since 2019, a pace that is "crippling the system." However, some Republicans have pushed back on the proposed cuts. In a May opinion piece in the New York Times, Sen. Josh Hawley, R- Missouri, said "slashing health insurance for the working poor" is "morally wrong and politically suicidal." Survey: Americans worried about Medicaid cuts The public is paying attention to the proposed Medicaid cuts. Slightly more than half of adults said they're worried significant cuts in Medicaid spending would negatively affect their family's ability to obtain and afford health care, according to a KFF health tracking poll released June 6. The survey this survey of 2,539 U.S. adults was conducted online and by telephone over three weeks in May. The survey said nearly 6 in 10 adults said the Trump administration's policies would weaken Medicaid, but there is a stark divide based on party affiliation. Nine in 10 Democrats but just 2 in 10 Republicans expect the administration's policies would weaken Medicaid. Republicans also were far more likely than Democrats to say that the Trump's policies would strengthen Medicaid. Still, while the survey suggests people are tracking the news, many likely wouldn't know whether their coverage has changed until they try to get medical care. "People don't often know that they've lost coverage until they try and fill a prescription or see a doctor," Tolbert said.
