The Brief

The next time you shop for a cooking stove, the gas versions might show a health warning label similar to those on tobacco products.

Because a stove's blue flame releases air pollution into your kitchen, California lawmakers have passed a bill that would require such warning labels on gas stoves for sale in stores and online. Gov. Gavin Newsom has until the end of September to sign the bill into law.

The legislation comes after a series of lawsuits was filed against stove manufacturers, claiming they should have warned customers about potential health risks. Environmental activists are encouraging people to switch to electric stoves, part of a broader campaign to cut climate pollution from buildings. Now there's an effort to put health warning labels on stoves nationwide.

Why one chef replaced her gas stove

About 38% of U.S. homes cook with natural gas, and utilities have preserved that market share with tobacco-style tactics to avoid regulations on gas stoves. Part of that is a decades-old "cooking with gas" campaign that has helped gas stoves remain popular with cooks, including famous ones.

"I will say, historically, I've been really a snob about that," says Samin Nosrat, who wrote the 2017 award-winning cookbook Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. She learned to cook with gas. "I just never accepted an alternative in my imagination."

But a few years back, she bought a house with a gas stove, and her carbon monoxide alarm kept going off when she cooked. At first, she assumed the alarm was broken and installed a new one. Finally she called the gas company. A utility worker said that levels of the poisonous gas were "off the charts high" and that she should get checked for carbon monoxide poisoning.

Nosrat was fine but says, "I really didn't feel safe. I just always had this feeling of like, 'Is my oven going to kill me?'"

For her to switch from a gas to electric range could have required expensive electrical upgrades and construction that would inconvenience her neighbors. So Nosrat opted for a new style of electric induction stove with batteries that doesn't need a special outlet.

As part of her installation, the California company Copper measured pollutants in Nosrat's home before and after. It found that both nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide levels dropped dramatically.

While Nosrat still uses a gas stove in her studio for work, she says it's a relief to know her home range is no longer sending fossil fuel pollutants into her living space. And she found another benefit to using an induction stove with a smooth cooktop: "Cleaning it rules — like, you just spray it down and wipe it off."

Proposed California law to warn stove buyers

Another Californian has been learning about indoor air pollution from gas stoves, and as a state lawmaker, she sponsored legislation to warn other stove buyers.

California Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, a Democrat from Santa Cruz, says she knew to turn on the vent hood when using the cooktop, but she hadn't thought about her gas oven. "So if I've got a lasagna in the oven, I have never put the vent on, because you're not seeing the smoke and everything," Pellerin told NPR. "So I was emitting horrible gases into my home."

Medical experts say nitrogen dioxide is the biggest concern. It's a reddish-brown gas and is a key element of smog outdoors. It can irritate airways and may contribute to the development of asthma, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The American Public Health Association has labeled gas cooking stoves "a public health concern," and the American Medical Association warns that cooking with gas increases the risk of childhood asthma.

Gas stoves can also leak methane, even when they're off, and stoves emit benzene, which is linked to cancer. While stove manufacturers have developed cleaner and more efficient burners, they aren't widely available to consumers.

Gas-lit flames burn on a natural gas stove. California's Legislature passed a bill requiring health warning labels on new gas stoves.

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Richard Vogel

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If Pellerin's legislation becomes law, it will require a label on gas stoves for sale in stores and online that says, "Gas stoves can release nitrogen dioxide, benzene, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and other harmful pollutants into the air, which can be toxic to people and pets." The label would also mention associated risks for breathing problems, suggest using a vent hood and say, "Young children, people with asthma, and people with heart or lung disease are especially vulnerable to the toxic effects of combustion pollutants."

"I think this is just important for us to have transparency and inform consumers so they can make the decision that's right for their family," Pellerin says.

Similar bills were introduced in Illinois and New York, but unlike California's version, lawmakers did not pass them out of the legislature.

The campaign for warning labels is part of a larger climate effort to get consumers to switch to electric appliances that don't burn fossil fuels. Commercial and residential buildings account for about 13% of heat-trapping emissions, mainly from the use of gas appliances.

The natural gas production and supply system leaks the powerful greenhouse gas methane during drilling, fracking, processing and transport.

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Meredith Miotke

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The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) opposed California's health warning legislation and suggested a different label that does not focus on fossil fuel combustion pollution. The trade group echoes gas industry arguments that smoke and fumes from cooking food are a bigger problem than pollution from burning gas and that two separate issues are being conflated.

"If we want to talk about people's health and indoor air quality, then let's talk about that. If we want to talk about fossil fuel versus electrification, then we need to talk about that," says Kevin Messner, AHAM's executive vice president and chief policy officer.

Messner says all pollution from stoves — electric or gas — requires proper ventilation to prevent pollution from accumulating in homes. With warning labels only on gas stoves, Messner argues that this sends the wrong message.

"So if you go to, let's say, a retailer and you see a gas cooking product with a warning or information that says you should use ventilation. Then right next to it, you have an electric appliance or an induction [stove] that does not have that warning — this is common sense that you're going to think, 'I don't need to use ventilation for the electric appliance,'" Messner says.

AHAM says it's disappointed California lawmakers passed the health warning label only for gas stoves. But that has energized activists, who hope they can get similar labels on gas stoves for sale nationwide.

A national campaign for gas stove health warnings

The use of gas stoves has become a flash point in the culture wars. One of the groups pushing for health warning labels has turned to humor to spread its message. Gas Leaks Project released a parody trailer this year for a reality show it calls Hot & Toxic. The premise is an "unsuspecting homeowner" who loves her new gas stove but later learns it comes with some of "the hottest, most toxic housemates imaginable."

Each character represents a pollutant created from burning gas, including carbon monoxide, or “C.MO,” who echoes a line that reality show fans will recognize, but with a twist. "I did not come here to make friends," she says. "I came here to cause chest pain, nausea and vomiting."

A campaign associated with the parody encourages people to sign a petition to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) telling it to put warning labels on gas stoves nationwide.

The CPSC was at the center of a 2023 culture war campaign led by conservatives, who falsely claimed the Biden administration wanted to take away Americans' gas stoves. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, wrote on social media, "I'll NEVER give up my gas stove. If the maniacs in the White House come for my stove, they can pry it from my cold dead hands."

The outrage was prompted by a story in which CPSC Commissioner Richard Trumka Jr. suggested that the CPSC might consider stricter regulations on new gas stoves in response to health concerns.

Trumka and the CPSC did not respond to NPR's requests for interviews. Even before that kerfuffle, the CPSC had launched a task force about gas stoves and indoor air quality. It included industry, environmental and consumer groups.

"We met at least monthly for a year and a half," says AHAM's Messner, adding that participants were leaning toward regulating cooking fumes instead of fossil fuel combustion pollution. "The enthusiasm for having CPSC's task force trailed off by some who didn't see it going in the direction where they wanted it to go, politically."

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group disputes that conclusion and says the staff member directing the group was reassigned. Still, U.S. PIRG has redirected its campaign and launched a new effort to get health warning labels on gas stoves sold in Washington, D.C., by suing one of the biggest stove manufacturers.

The case for suing gas stove companies

U.S. PIRG filed a lawsuit in May against the Chinese company Haier, which owns GE Appliances. U.S. PIRG says the manufacturer violates the District of Columbia's consumer protection law, which "prohibits a wide variety of deceptive and unconscionable business practices."

"We're saying that it's a deceptive practice for GE Appliances to sell gas stoves in the District without warning consumers about the well-documented health risks associated with cooking with gas," says Abe Scarr, U.S. PIRG's energy and utilities program director.

The group isn't asking for money, aside from paying U.S. PIRG's attorney fees and costs. Instead it wants the court to require GE Appliances to put health warning labels on gas stoves sold in the District.

A spokesperson for GE Appliances said the company won't comment on the litigation but said: "All our ranges and cooktops meet or exceed applicable safety standards."

A 1992 analysis by Duke University and Environmental Protection Agency researchers found that children in a home with a gas stove have about a 20% increased risk of developing respiratory illness. A 2022 analysis showed 12.7% of childhood asthma cases in the U.S. can be attributed to use of gas stoves in homes.

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Other gas stove manufacturers face potential class action lawsuits in California and Wisconsin that claim companies should disclose the risk of pollutants to consumers. Attorneys in Massachusetts have filed a similar case against the local gas utility Eversource.

Scarr says the legal cases are needed because stove buyers aren't getting the message that pollution from gas stoves can lead to health problems. His group surveyed 62 Lowe's, Home Depot and Best Buy locations in 11 states. Secret shoppers were dispatched to ask about health concerns.

U.S. PIRG found that most salespeople "flatly denied or expressed ignorance about the health risks of gas stoves" and that 15% of them "recommended gas stoves over electric ranges or induction cooktops, even when the secret shopper voiced concerns about pollution."

Lowe's and Best Buy did not respond to NPR's interview requests. A Home Depot spokesperson said, "Most customers choose a gas, electric or induction range based on which fuel their home is equipped for" and also said that the retailer sells range hoods and that a stove's instruction manual "speaks to the importance of ventilation."

As Scarr's group pursues its D.C. lawsuit, he says they plan to again pressure the CPSC to require health warning labels for the entire country, possibly as soon as next year.

Copyright 2024 NPR

Voyager Technologies unveiled a 140,000-square-foot facility Tuesday in Long Beach that will be used for designing and producing parts for missiles and commercial spacecraft.

The company wrote in a news release that the facility, which will employ 150 to 200 people, will be used to advance a number of the company’s ventures into aerospace and defense for the U.S. military and other clients.

“We are standing up capacity at Space Beach for one purpose: to deliver for our customers,” Matt Magaña, president of Space, Defense and National Security at Voyager, wrote — using a nickname for Long Beach’s burgeoning space industry.

The Denver-based company, which launched in 2019, has nearly a dozen locations across Ohio, California, Colorado and Texas. This announcement comes two months after it opened a 150,000-square-foot facility in Pueblo, Colo., also focused on missiles, defence and weaponry.

Through a network of former companies it has purchased, Voyager has researched and designed a variety of parts for spacecraft or rockets, from long-range radios and GPS guidance systems to commercial airlocks and propulsion systems.

It’s known for its Starlab project, a venture propelled by a $217 million NASA contract to replace the International Space Station, which is slated to retire in 2030.

But a majority of the company’s business is in defense. The net sales last year for its defense and national security program jumped 59%, making up $123 million of the $166 million it made. In the last quarter of 2025, the category made up nearly two-thirds of its sales.

By contrast, the company’s sales for “Space Solutions,” which designs spacecraft for commercial and research purposes, declined by 36% in 2025.

The company is working with Lockheed Martin to develop a new missile interceptor system — coined the “Next Generation Interceptor” — and has contracts to build parts for hypersonic missiles and military-grade payloads. Top officials at Voyager say they have a strong interest in competing for contracts on Golden Dome, a 10-year, $151 billion missile defense program.

It’s unclear whether the Long Beach facility will focus on a particular program or take on work as it is needed. In a release, company officials wrote it will help design A.I. software and other parts for “next-generation propulsion and defense systems and integrated sensing, communications and autonomy technologies.”

The company said it is working with neighbors Anduril Industries and True Anomaly, who recently set up facilities in Long Beach, to meet some contracts, but did not specify the venture.

It’s the latest in a wave of space tech companies to join “Space Beach” by moving to the 430-odd acres of industrial and warehouse space once used to build cargo planes outside Long Beach Airport.

In January, Anduril, an artificial-intelligence-backed weapons manufacturer, announced that it was building a $1 billion campus nearby to make drones and other A.I.-enabled weapons.

It’s an industry where successful businesses often curry favor with the federal government and military, and local representatives are eager to attract defense tech firms to create high-paying jobs.

Mayor Rex Richardson, left, and Matt Magaña, president of Space, Defense and National Security at Voyager. Photo Courtesy Voyager Technologies “We’re proud to welcome Voyager to our growing Space Beach ecosystem with a 140,000-square-foot facility advancing aerospace innovation, domestic manufacturing, and national security capabilities,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “This investment brings high-skilled jobs, strengthens our local economy, and further establishes Long Beach as a national hub for the industries shaping our future.”

These companies are in tight competition to take advantage of a growing national defense budget — $895 million in 2025 from $816 in 2023 — while taking advantage of the large pools of talent near existing research and military facilities like JPL in Pasadena, Mojave Air and Space port in Kern County and Vandenberg Space Force Base.

While the budget was shrunk to $838.7 billion in 2026, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has placed an increased priority on spending on U.S.-made drones and autonomous weapon systems. Buoyed by global conflicts, defense companies in Long Beach and across the region are anxious to accelerate their designs and production of weapons and defense systems.

The story first appeared on Boyle Heights Beat.

A free community food pantry that had been set up outside a market in East Los Angeles now has a new home in Boyle Heights, thanks to community members who rallied to keep it going.

Created by East L.A. native Rebecca Gonzales, the pantry had been stationed outside of Ramirez Meat Market on the corner of Folsom Street and Rowan Avenue since November, offering produce, snacks and shelf-stable items.

Gonzales created the resource after seeing how ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and SNAP delays were affecting the most vulnerable in her community. 

A few days after Boyle Heights Beat published an article about the pantry, the market’s owner asked Gonzales to move it.

Rosa Ramirez, who has owned Ramirez Meat Market for 26 years, said she hadn’t expected the pantry to be permanent and noticed that fewer people were coming into her store when the pantry was stocked. Ramirez appreciated Gonzales’ intentions, but said the piles of donated clothes and shoes next to the pantry were difficult to manage.

Soon after learning the pantry would have to move, Gonzales posted the news on Instagram. Within an hour, she received about a dozen messages from friends and community members reaching out to help. 

“I was worried that I was gonna have to just bring it home and it’s gonna be a lapse of services,” Gonzales said. 

That same day, Yvonne I. Monje Perez, owner of SuperNova Thrift — a shop near Mariachi Plaza that sells second-hand clothing — reached out. Though she had never met Gonzales, Perez didn’t think twice about offering help. 

The East LA free food pantry now sits outside of SuperNova Thrift on 1st Street in Boyle Heights.

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“We could benefit from something like that here in this neighborhood,” Perez recalled thinking after seeing the post. 

With coordination from Gonzales and guidance from the Boyle Heights Chamber of Commerce, Perez and her husband picked up the pantry last Friday and it was open for the community the following day. 

“It makes me so happy seeing people come to it and look at it, and just take from it,” said Perez. “It’s been received very well, a lot of people are very happy about it.”

Now, Perez and Gonzales have a schedule for opening and closing the pantry, and donations have continued to roll in. 

While Gonzales does not keep track of how many donations come in every day, she noticed items usually remain at the end of the day, a change from when the pantry would go empty in East L.A.  

Looking ahead, Gonzales hopes to inspire others to start free food pantries in their own communities.

“People want to help,” she said. “People want to do good things. People want to see other people not just survive, but thrive.”

The East LA free food pantry was recently moved in front of SuperNova Thrift on 1st Street in Boyle Heights.

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Laura Anaya-Morga

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Boyle Heights Beat

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The heat isn’t the only thing to worry about this weekend.

If you’re looking to escape the summer-like weather, the beach might be a spot to cool off, but it's a good idea to stay out of some waters.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is advising people to avoid contact with ocean water at certain L.A. County beaches because of bacteria levels that exceed state health standards.

After recent samples showed unsafe bacterial levels, which may increase the risk of illness, health officials recommend beachgoers to:

• avoid contact 100 yards up and down the coast from the public restrooms of the Malibu Lagoon at Surfrider Beach.
  
• avoid contact 100 yards up and down the coast at Santa Monica Canyon Creek at Will Rogers State Beach. It's located near Will Rogers Tower 18.
  
• avoid contact 100 yards up and down the coast from the Castlerock Storm Drain at Topanga County Beach too.
  
• avoid contact 100 yards up and down the coast from the Escondido Creek at Escondido State Beach.
  
• avoid contact 100 yards up and down the coast from the Marie Canyon Storm Drain at Puerco Beach.

Good news, some beach areas have been cleared of previous warnings because of recent water samples that identified quality levels back within California standards. Those include:

• Leo Carrillo State Beach in Malibu.
  
• Mother’s Beach in Marina Del Rey.
  
• The Pulga storm drain at Will Rogers State Beach.
  
• And last but not least, the world-famous Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica.

You can find the latest information and a map on beach conditions online here. You can also find information on the last 30 days of beach water quality across L.A. County at Heal The Bay's Beach Report Card.