14 DAY TRIAL // A new paper says that, most likely without their knowing, people in California, US, are walking around carrying toxic chemical compounds in their bodies. The compounds in question, identified as flame retardants, can cause all sorts of health issues, cancer included.
The study was carried out by scientists with the Silent Spring Institute, a research facility based in Massachusetts, US. Its findings are detailed in a recent issue of the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science & Technology.
Pinning down toxic compounds in people
In their paper, the scientists behind this research project explain that, as part of their investigation, they collected several urine samples from folks living in California, which they then tested. The focus was on pinning down markers for six flame retardants.
Sure enough, the Silent Spring Institutes specialists found markers for all the compounds that their study focused on in all the samples that they obtained and analyzed. The compounds that left markers in the samples belong to a class of toxic flame retardants known as phosphates.
Interestingly enough, the researchers say that, off the toxic flame retards whose presence in the bodies of people in California they documented, one has never before been documented in folks living in this country. This compound goes by the name of tris-(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP, for short).
As shown by previous investigations, folks who are exposed to this toxic flame retardant can develop cancer as a result. Besides, the compound has until now been linked to all sorts of other health trouble, including problems with the nervous and reproductive systems.
One other flame retardant that the scientists found in the bodies of Californians is known to the scientific community as Tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCIPP). This compound is similar to TCEP, and it too has until now been shown to be a threat to public health.
How did these compounds end up in folks?
For those unaware, flame retardants are chemical compounds that, as their name suggests, are added to textiles, plastics, surface finishes and coatings in order to inhibit, suppress, or delay the production of flames. Thus, they serve to keep fires from spreading.
Over the years, plenty such compounds have been added to clothes and furniture made and marketed in the US. Although several flame retardants were banned following studies showing them to be a threat to public health, it appears that people are still exposed to such toxic compounds.
“We found that several toxic flame retardants are in people's bodies. When you sit on your couch, you want to relax, not get exposed to chemicals that may cause cancer,” study lead author Robin Dodson said in a statement, as cited by Science Daily.
“Some flame retardants have been targeted for phase out, but unfortunately there are others that have largely been under the radar,” the Silent Spring Institute scientist when on to comment on the outcome of this investigation.
