Page 1 GAO-25-107514 Safety of Gas Stoves
M
illions of Americans use gas stoves—that is, gas ovens, cooktops, and ranges.
While voluntary standards for gas stoves are developed and updated regularly
through consensus-based processes to help protect users, researchers and
others have raised concerns about the potential risks from emissions associated
with these appliances. However, there is disagreement about the extent of
linkage between the emissions produced by gas stoves and certain health
issues.
The Senate Report accompanying the Financial Services and General
Government Appropriations Bill of 2024 includes a provision for us to report on
actions taken by industry and the federal government over the last 25 years to
improve gas stove safety. This report describes the potential risks associated
with gas stoves, relevant safety standards, efforts to improve safety, and
challenges encountered in implementing these improvements.
in
• Gas stoves pose certain health and safety risks, due in part to potentially
harmful emissions, including nitrogen dioxide, but there is ongoing deba
te
about the ex
tent of their impact on human health.
• Gas stove safety is addressed through voluntary industry consensus
standards, third-party testing, and state and local building codes. Retailers
generally require gas stoves they sell to meet the voluntary standards.
• Industry participants, researchers, and regulatory agencies are engaged i
n
ongoing efforts to enhance safety features, testing, and ventilation systems to
fur
ther mitigate potential emissions risks.
• Challenges to improving gas stove safety involve regulatory coordinati
on,
ec
onomic constraints, consumer behavior, and technological integrati
on.
A
ddressing these challenges requires collaboration among standards
development organizations, government entities, and industry stakeholders.
Census Bureau and sales data indicate that gas stove use has been relatively
stable since at least 2015 but may be declining. According to the American
Housing Survey conducted by the Census Bureau, from 2015 to 2021, 33.3
percent (+/- 0.3 percent) of households used piped gas as their cooking fuel
source, indicating the use of gas stoves. However, gas stove shipments in the
U.S. (domestically produced and imported) declined from 46 percent of all stove
shipments in 2020 to 37 percent in 2023, according to the Association of Home
Appliance Manufacturers.
U.S. Government Accountability Office
: Risks and Safety Standards
Products and Ventilation
-25-107514
Report to Congressional Committees
March 18, 2025
What do available data
show
about the extent
