Household hazards like gas stoves and cleaning products disproportionately affect women's health. How to make your environment safer.
From gas stoves and cleaning products, a growing body of research shows that there are potential health hazards lurking in your home — and they disproportionately affect women.
That’s because women tend to use gas stoves and cleaning products more often, Dr. Mary Margaret Johnson, principal research scientist in the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, tells Yahoo Life. A recent Cookpad/Gallup survey found that the “cooking gender gap” is widening. Around the world, women cook 8.7 meals per week on average, the survey found. By comparison, men typically cook an average of four meals a week. (The gap is slightly smaller in the U.S., where women cook an average of two meals more a week than men.)
There is also a disparity in how often men and women clean their homes. Data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development found that American women spend almost 4.5 hours a day taking care of their households, while men spend nearly half that amount doing the same thing.
But both of these activities put women at risk of developing health problems, including respiratory issues. Here’s what researchers want you to know about household hazards facing women — and what you can do to protect your health.
What are the health risks of gas stoves?
There are a few risks to consider when it comes to gas stoves. A study published in May in Science Advances estimated nitrogen dioxide emissions from gas and propane stoves lead to about 50,000 cases of asthma across the country. (Long-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide has been linked to a higher risk of developing respiratory disease and infections.) The researchers also determined that people who use their stoves at home 110 days a year had exposure to nitrogen dioxide that exceeds the World Health Organization’s recommended 200 µg/m3 for one hour of indoor exposure.
Gas stoves also affect children. A 2023 study also linked gas stoves with nearly 13% of childhood asthma cases, while a meta-analysis of 41 scientific papers found that owning a gas stove could increase the risk of childhood asthma by about 3 percentage points. Yet another study of nearly 4,000 children stated that having a gas stove in the home was linked to a higher risk of developing asthma in girls. Based on the data, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced last year that it is conducting its own investigation into gas stoves.
Dr. Wynne Armand, researcher and associate director for the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for the Environment and Health, tells Yahoo Life that, while much of the research focuses on kids, women are also at risk. “Women do more cooking, so they have more exposure,” she says.
Gas stoves create different kinds of pollutants, including tiny airborne particles called fine particulate matter (or PM2.5) when combined with combustion — in other words, when they're turned on. “Gas stoves can also leak gas,” Armand says. The pollutant benzene, a known carcinogen, can also be emitted by gas stoves, even after they’ve been turned off. Long-term exposure to high levels of benzene in the air can cause leukemia.
Air pollution, including indoor air pollution, is linked with a higher risk of early death, cancer and neurological disease, Armand points out. “All air pollution is not good for health in general,” she says.
With research linking gas stoves with pollution, Johnson says that more studies are needed to look at the potential impact of these stoves on the development of serious health conditions like dementia in adults. “It’s reasonable to think that, at some point, exposure has more health impacts” beyond what we know now, she says.
What are the health risks linked with cleaning products?
Research has linked the use of cleaning products with an increased risk of asthma. A study of more than 37,000 people published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that participants had a higher risk of having uncontrolled asthma when they used household disinfectants and cleaning products weekly, including disinfectant wipes and so-called green products.
Several chemicals in cleaning products — including ones that contain enzymes or quaternary ammonium, which is usually used in all-purpose cleaners — can irritate a person’s nose and throat. Limonene, which creates a signature citrus scent in many cleaning products, has been linked to skin issues and asthma.
Mixing certain cleaning products like hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid can also release a harmful gas, Johnson says.
“We know that some cleaning products can be damaging to our health, but people don’t necessarily know that they should be protecting themselves from various chemicals in the home,” Johnson says.
How to protect your health
The best thing you can do to protect your health is to reduce your exposure to these chemicals and pollutants whenever possible, Armand says. But that doesn’t mean you need to stop cooking or cleaning your home.
If it’s time to replace your gas stove or if you’re building or renovating your home, Armand suggests getting an electric or induction stove instead. But she acknowledges that that isn’t always feasible for many people. That’s why Johnson suggests focusing on ventilation, particularly in small homes and apartments. “Ventilation is key,” she says.
While you cook, turn on the ventilation hood and open windows if you can, says Armand. She also suggests using an air purifier in the kitchen and considering cooking alternatives, like using an electric kettle to boil water or an electric air fryer or multi-cooker to minimize stove use.
When using cleaning products, Johnson recommends wearing gloves and considering wearing a mask if you already have a respiratory condition like asthma or just want an additional layer of protection. The American Lung Association suggests choosing fragrance-free cleaning products, particularly ones certified by Safer Choice, Green Seal or EcoLogo, or using common household items like baking soda and vinegar to clean without any harmful chemicals.
Johnson suggests paying close attention to the label on your cleaning products. “There are often warnings that you’re not supposed to mix certain cleaning products,” she says.
Experts say this isn’t cause for panic, but note that women — not to mention everyone else — should be aware of these potential household risks. “It’s important to at least have a sense of how exposures in your home may be impacting you,” Johnson says.
