Roughly one-in-eight cases of childhood asthma in the US are the result of air pollutants emitted by gas stoves.

That’s according to a new study by the team of Rocky Mountain Institute, the University of Sydney and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, which has found that emissions from gas cooking are at the same asthma risk level as breathing in second-hand smoke.

The most common pollutants from gas stoves are nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde.

The research suggests the proportion of childhood asthma that could be prevented if gas stove use was not present varied by state.

Researchers found that the highest rates of this proportion could be seen in Illinois (21%), California (20%) and New York (18%).

Brady Seals, Manager of RMI Buildings, said: “We knew gas stoves were bad. But how bad? For childhood asthma, exposure to gas stove pollution is similar to being exposed to second-hand smoke.

“Nationally, over 12% of childhood asthma can be attributable to gas stove pollution.”