Hi annaraven, I was not commenting on your safety concerns.. but on the idea that people would object to smelly fuel in a survival situation. You concerns are quite valid, but to educate myself I did some research on the safety of butane cookers. I presume you have what is called a suitcase cartridge cooker. I have several and they are very common and cheap. Usually my first go to stove if the power is out. However I was quite shocked at what I found in my research. These stoves are now considered unsafe.. particularly any older models. Australia had a complete recall of these stoves made before 2015 due to safety issues with the pressure cut off. Millions of stoves. I didn’t even know they had a pressure cut off. In the USA I believe they are now labelled .. not for indoor use. You could check this out.
https://backpackinglight.com/stoves_tents_carbon_monoxide/
This is a long but very thorough article on camp stoves. Butane is perhaps the safest of the fuels re carbon monoxide but it is still not safe. He lists a case in NZ where 2 people died in a tent from using a butane lamp. I have heard of other cases. So you still have to be careful.
But the real issue is with stove failure and the danger of fire and explosion. The nature of the canister means they can and have exploded. And there are issues with leaks at the valve/connection. There is a rubber O ring seal. I will write a bit more when I have time.. but I will be much more wary when I use these stoves in the future . And the other butane type I have with the piercing connection.. which are now considered obsolete and unsafe. Sigh….