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
Previous studies have linked exposure to certain flame
retardants with health concerns such as
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.
How did
researchers examine pollutants 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
“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 detected inside vehicle cabins
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,
“
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 can we
reduce exposure risk of possible carcinogens 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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