(Environmental Science & Technology) The study looked at the presence of hazardous air pollutants in natural gas that is used in homes. The researchers collected 185 natural gas samples from 159 homes across California and found that they commonly contained 12 hazardous air pollutants, including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and total xylenes.
The study estimated that the state of California could be emitting 4,200 kg of benzene every year from this source, which is not accounted for in emissions inventories.
Lebel, E., Michanowicz, D., Bilsback, K., Hill, L., Goldman, J., Domen, J., Jaeger, J., Ruiz, A., Shonkoff, S. (2022) Composition, Emissions, and Air Quality Impacts of Hazardous Air Pollutants in Unburned Natural Gas from Residential Stoves in California. Environmental Science & Technology 56 (22), 15828-15838 https://pubs.acs.org/action/showCitFormats?doi=10.1021%2Facs.est.2c02581&href=/doi/10.1021%2Facs.est.2c02581