Plasticizers Detected At Alarming Levels In California Air

Plasticizers Detected At Alarming Levels In California Air

Plasticizers Detected At Alarming Levels In California Air
A recent study led by David Volz, a professor of environmental sciences at UC Riverside, has revealed alarming levels of plasticizers—chemical compounds that make materials more flexible—in the air across Southern California. While plasticizers like those found in grocery bags and drinking straws are well-known, they are also present in various everyday items such as lunchboxes, garden hoses, and upholstery. The study, published in Environmental Research, tracked the exposure of two groups of UC Riverside undergraduate students who wore silicone wristbands to measure airborne chemicals as they commuted around Southern California. The wristbands, worn continuously for five days in 2019 and 2020, revealed high concentrations of plasticizers, including ortho-phthalates such as DiNP and DEHP, both of which are listed under California’s Proposition 65 as chemicals that pose health risks like cancer and reproductive harm. The wristbands also detected DEHT, a non-ortho-phthalate that has been introduced as a replacement but whose health effects remain largely unstudied. The results of the study were particularly troubling because they found that the pollutants were suspended in the air and not bound to the dust, meaning they could have been carried anywhere while the students were walking. The research team found concentrations ranging from 100,000 to 1 million ng per gram of pollen for DiNP, DEHP and DEHT. Wells said the chemicals are widespread not only in Southern California but elsewhere, pointing to similar levels of phthalates found in unrelated studies on the East Coast. . "No matter who you are, no matter where you are, your daily exposure to these fabric-protecting chemicals is high and constant," he said. The presence of these substances in the air shows the continuing problem of plastic pollution and its effects on human health. When plastics break down, these harmful compounds are released into the environment, which is difficult to prevent exposure to. Wells and his team believe that reducing the production and consumption of plastic materials is the way to reduce the level of pollutants in the air. The study emphasizes the need for more research on the health effects of non-orthophthalates such as DEHT and the search for safer alternatives.

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