Benzene

Benzene is carcinogenic and can cause blood disorders such as anemia, excessive bleeding and leukemia. Children have an increased risk of developing acute lymphocytic leukemia if the mother has been exposed to benzene in the year before or during pregnancy. 

It is no coincidence that both the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the US Environmental Protection Agency classify it in the most carcinogenic group.

Burning and heating with wood emits a surprisingly large amount of benzene.

Studies prove it: When hardwood is burned in a wood stove, 1 gram of benzene is released for every 1 kilogram of wood burned.