study revealed that gas pipes and stoves leak, leaving a carcinogenic substance adrift

A study revealed in recent days in the specialized magazine, Environmental Science and Technology, revealed a complicated situation that has been detected by researchers in the state of California, United States, in which it has been revealed that stoves and gas distribution systems in that territory have serious leakage problems, which have caused the release of significant amounts of a gas known as benzenewhich could have carcinogenic effects on the population.

According to the study, in addition to how delicate the release of said gas inside homes is, this leak could also have consequences in open spaces, even more so, detailing that, according to the evidence, about 4 tons of benzene per year leak into the atmosphere in that region of the United States.

In the case of external leaks, these would be related to breakdowns in external pipes, which are responsible for conducting the gas to homes and buildings in said State.

Regarding the proportion of benzene that is being released through the pipes, according to local media that cite the study, such as The Independent, this would be equivalent to the pollution caused by nearly 60,000 cars, in an imbalance that is not taken into account by the environmental authorities of that country; USA.

Despite the fact that the study has made it possible to verify the existence of dangerous benzene leaks, experts have specified that more precise studies are required to calculate the dimension of the emergency, thus determining the number of homes that would be affected by the leaks.

According to the study revealed by the specialized media Environmental Science and Technology, For the realization of the first part of this, the characteristics and samples collected in about 160 homes from different regions of the State of Californiain which the type of gas that is emitted from these was analyzed at times when, even, the appliance is turned off.

In this sense, the results of the investigation allowed us to show that all the samples collected contained traces of polluting gas emissions, noting that these have truly adverse effects on the well-being of humans, even more so at high exposures to this, known as BTEX, referring to the Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylene.

Within the traces found, the discovery of benzene set off alarms, since the historical evidence of this gas has been associated with its consequences related to the appearance of cases of leukemia and other types of canceras well as other blood conditions, according to Specialized Health Institutes.

After the presentation of the conclusions, it is hoped that the local authorities can take the necessary measures to mitigate not only the consequences, but the original problem itself, remembering that this is also affecting air quality, both in open and closed spaces. of that state.

The alarm, according to local media, is huge, not only because of the consequences, but also because California is precisely the second State of that country with the highest consumption of home gas.

“We hope that policy makers take this data into account when developing policies to ensure that current and future policies are protective of health in light of this new research.”, added Drew Michanowicz, co-author of the study linked to the PSE Healthy Energy research institute, recalling that the samples obtained in cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, among others, refer to an amount of toxic gases well above those deemed ‘safe’ by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.