A recent study revealed shockingly high levels of toxic air pollutants known as plasticizers present in Southern California, according to a University of California, Riverside report posted by SciTechDaily.
What's happening?
Researchers distributed silicone wristbands designed specifically to collect data on airborne chemicals to students at UC Riverside.
The first group of undergrads wore them for five days in 2019, and the second group wore two different bands, each for a five-day period, in 2020. The students wore them continuously, including during their differing commutes to school.
After each testing period, scientists cut up the wristbands to study the chemicals each student encountered, including airborne plasticizers. The results were alarming.
Plasticizers are chemical compounds in many commonly used products like lunchboxes, cosmetics, and shower curtains. Previously, research has focused on a type of plasticizer called ortho-phthalates.
Due to health and environmental issues, some ortho-phthalates were phased out and replaced with non-ortho-phthalates, which have not been studied nearly as much. This new research showed that both types of plasticizers are present in the air in Southern California.
"The levels of these compounds are through the roof. We weren't expecting that. As a result, we felt it was important for people to learn about this study," said David Volz, one of the corresponding authors of the paper about the study and an environmental sciences professor at UC Riverside, per the SciTechDaily post.
In every gram of wristband material, the research team found between 100,000 and 1 million nanograms of three phthalates: DiNP, DEHP, and DEHT.
Why are plasticizers important?
Some plasticizers are linked to serious health issues like cancer and reproductive problems. DiNP and DEHP are included on the list under Proposition 65 — California's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act.
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The list includes chemicals known to cause cancer, reproductive harm, and birth defects, as the university report detailed.
Unrelated studies conducted on the East Coast showed similar results to those found by Volz and his team. "No matter who you are, or where you are, your daily level of exposure to these plasticizer chemicals is high and persistent," said Volz. "They are ubiquitous."
What's being done about plasticizers?
According to Volz, the most impactful way to decrease plasticizers in the air is to cut down on our use of plastic products. New laws, like those banning plastic bags and straws, are already working to reduce the use of plastics.
Important research is also being done to decrease plastics in our food and water. In our daily lives, we can each cut down on plastic products by switching to items like reusable water bottles and bags.
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