Chances are you’re inhaling the toxic chemicals used to make plastics more flexible, according to a new study by UC Riverside and Duke researchers. Plasticizers are used in a variety of everyday products like lunch boxes, shower curtains, and garden hoses. The chemicals in this study — known as phthalates — have been linked to cancer, birth complications, and reproductive harm .
Researchers tracked groups of UCR students to measure how much they were absorbing chemical compounds in the air. Each student wore a silicone wristband continuously for five days, with the band acting like a sponge. The levels of plasticizers “were through the roof,” said David Volz, a professor of environmental toxicology at UC Riverside.
“It was so shocking because they were so high relative to everything else we measured in that wristband,” Volz said. Researchers had previously looked at flame retardants, and several plasticizers came out roughly 100 times higher. They specifically found three chemical compounds that stood out: DiNP, DEHP, and DEHT.
The former two are named on California’s Proposition 65 list, which lists chemicals that can increase the risk of cancer and birth defects. Health officials say exposure to DEHP during pregnancy can affect the development of a child, and that the compound can pass from the mother to the baby. Volz said because these compounds are chemical additives to plastic products, “they have the potential to migrate” — meaning they can be lea.
