Airborne plastic chemical levels shock researchers
Airborne plastic chemical levels shock researchers
Southern Californians are chronically being exposed to toxic airborne chemicals called plasticizers, including one that’s been banned from children’s items and beauty products.
From the linked article within this article: New commuter concern: cancerous chemical in car seats
Some scientists assumed that humans stopped being exposed to the chemical, called TDCIPP or chlorinated tris, after it was placed on California’s Proposition 65 list in 2013. However, it is still widely used in automobile seat foam. The study shows that not only is your car a source of TDCIPP exposure, but that less than a week of commuting results in elevated exposure to it.
I assume, that this conclusion doesn't refer to car seats only. Although this chemical compound had been banned for home usage, people who commute by bus, train or airplane might be exposed to these chemicals too, as the seats are made and use to be in an automotive environment.
“If we picked up this relationship in five days, what does that mean for chronic, long-term exposure, for people who commute most weeks out of the year, year over year for decades?” Volz asked.
It seems that these chemicals accumulate faster than they are being broken down, which puts every commuter at risk in the long term. I wonder what the effects of this exposure might be, since these kind of chemicals are known for acting similar to hormones in our bodies. Could the overall agressive behavior that we witness in our society (roadrage, among others) be - at least partial - an outcome of the exporsure to flame retardend chemicals?
