Leaking methane from natural gas-burning stove tops could be a key cause for developing asthma, finds a recent study. According to a new research published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, leaking methane from natural gas-burning stove tops is releasing the greenhouse-gas equivalent of hundreds of thousands of cars, and thus cooking on gas stove tops is actually posing a risk to health.

The research conducted by professor Robert Jackson from Stanford University and colleagues pointed out that alongwith posing serious health risks to residents while the stove is in use, the rate of methane leakage was greatest during the time when it is not in use. 

The US-based study also revealed that the gas leaks from stove top cookers in 40 million homes in the US produced about 28,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases every year, or the equivalent of the emissions from around 500,000 petrol cars. The researchers highlighted that children and elderly people are at a grave risk as the nitrous oxides and fine particulate matter released during combustion build up quickly in the household while the stoves are on and contribute to respiratory diseases.