A new study found that possible carcinogens may be inside vehicles.
- Most cars in the United
States use flame retardants in several areas of the vehicle cabin based on
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard FMVSS 302.
- Previous studies have linked exposure to
certain flame retardants with health concerns such as neurological issues,
hormone disruption, and cancer-related death.
- Researchers from Duke University and the Green
Science Policy Institute have found that the air inside the cabins of some
model year 2015 or newer cars is polluted with flame retardants.
- Scientists also discovered air flame retardant
levels were two to five times higher in vehicle cabins in the summer
compared to winter.
In
the United States, most cars use flame retardants within seat foams and coverings and
other areas of vehicle cabins, based on the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard FMVSS 302.
Previous
studies have linked exposure to certain flame retardants with health concerns
such as neurological issues, hormone
disruption, and cancer-related death.
A
new study published in the journal Environmental
Science & Technology has found that the air inside the
cabins of some model year 2015 or newer cars is polluted with flame retardants.
The
researchers from Duke University and the Green Science Policy Institute also
discovered air flame retardant levels were two to five times higher in vehicle
cabins in the summer compared to winter.
Detecting
pollutants, chemicals inside cars
For
this study, researchers recruited 101 U.S. citizens owning a car with a model
year of 2015 or newer to hang a silicone passive sampler on their rearview mirror for
seven days.
A
silicon passive sampler can be used to measure different types of pollutants in
the air, including brominated and organophosphate flame retardants.
Scientists
reported that organophosphate esters (OPEs) were the most frequently
detected fire retardant collected by the silicone passive samplers.
“OPEs
are increasingly used as both flame retardants and plasticizers — i.e.
chemicals that change the properties of plastics — in various materials,”
said Heather M. Stapleton, PhD, Ronie-Richele Garcia-Johnson
Distinguished Professor in the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke
University and corresponding author of this study.
“Car interiors often contain a large proportion of
plastic components that are likely sources of these OPEs, such as the foam in
the interior roof lining, the seats, the electronics in the dashboards, etc,”
Stapleton explained to Medical
News Today.
“The
more plastics we surround ourselves with in our daily lives, the more exposure
we will have to these chemicals, particularly inside a car interior where the
space is relatively small compared to a home or building,” she added.
‘Probable’
carcinogens found inside vehicles
Of
OPEs, tris(1-chloro-isopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP) had a 99% detection frequency
with in-cabin air measurements ranging from 0.2 to 11,600 ng/g of sampler.
Stapleton
and her team also found that TCIPP was the dominant fire retardant discovered
in car seat foam.
“TCIPP
is a chlorinated organophosphate flame retardant that has been used extensively
in some textiles, building insulation, and furniture,” Stapleton said. “It has
been increasingly used following the phase-out of its close chemical
cousin, TDCIPP, which is considered a probable human carcinogen.”
“New data suggest
that TCIPP may also be carcinogenic. Some recent epidemiology and toxicology studies
also suggest TCIPP may be neurotoxic at high exposures, and impact thyroid
hormone regulation.”– Heather M. Stapleton, PhD
Polluted air
concentrations higher in summer
About
half of the cars included in the study were tested both during the summer and
winter.
Researchers
reported that sampler fire retardant concentrations within vehicle cabins were
two to five times higher in the summer than in the winter.
They
also found that the presence of TCIPP in foam resulted in about four times
higher average air sampler concentrations in winter and almost nine times
higher during the summer months.
Stapleton
explained:
“Chemicals are emitted from plastics at higher rates
with higher temperatures. Therefore, levels of these chemicals in the cabin air
of a vehicle will be higher in cars parked or residing in warm areas of the
country vs cars in colder parts of the country. And people entering these cars
will be breathing in this air with higher concentrations of flame retardants
and receiving higher exposures.”
“We hope this research
brings more attention to the use of these chemicals in personal vehicles and
the risks they potentially pose to human health,” she continued. “There are no
research studies that prove the use of these chemicals in car seats helps to
save lives. In contrast, there (is) data showing that the presence of flame
retardant chemicals in seat foam leads to the generation of more smoke and
toxic chemicals like carbon monoxide and hydrogen
cyanide when they burn during a fire.”
“It’s
also important to note that these chemicals do not stop materials from burning,
they only slow the rate at which they burn, and while they burn they are
creating dangerous conditions — i.e. more smoke and toxic chemicals,” Stapleton
added. “We need to address fire safety with different technologies and
approaches, such as using inherently non-flammable materials, or redesigning
flame retardants so they do not escape from materials over time.”
How to
reduce risk of exposure to chemicals inside cars
To
help protect drivers and passengers from the potential of flame retardant
exposure in vehicle cabins, Stapleton said ventilating your car, particularly
during hot summer months, is very important.
“And
if possible, park your car in the shade or use a sun visor to minimize the car
interior temperature during the day,” she continued. “I also recommend that
people open the car windows and ventilate the air before getting into the car
to drive. If you have an automatic starter, it would be best to start the car
for a few minutes before driving and put the air conditioner on to cool the
interior temperature.”
MNT also spoke with Douglas A. Miller, MD, radiation oncologist and medical
director of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Hackensack Meridian Jersey
Shore University Medical Center in New Jersey, about this study.
“Many
vehicles also allow the ability to recirculate air within or utilize outside
air when heating/cooling,” Miller offered as another tip. “For people wishing
to maximally reduce potential exposure, consider avoiding use of the
recirculating air feature.”
“(This)
research … raises awareness of potential environmental exposures of compounds
that may be harmful to humans,” he continued. “In clinical practice,
environmental exposures and their absolute risks for cancer development remain
challenging to sharply define for the entire population, but this study is an
important first step to identify potential exposures and mitigate risk.”
“Given
the millions of people (who) drive or travel in vehicles across the country on
a daily basis, we statistically may find cases where environmental exposure
from chemical retardants may induce a malignancy,” Miller added. “Moving
forward, I would like to see research into (the) modernization of the
regulations regarding the material requirements in vehicles and develop
alternative materials which do not contain (potentially) harmful compounds.”
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