The world is already suffering and every day a new study reveals how everything that surrounds us can pose health risks. Environmental Science & Technology has published a study that stated and revealed harsh truths about the air that we breathe while being inside of the car. The research, published in Environmental Science & Technology, analyzed the air inside 101 cars from 2015 to 2022 and found that nearly all of them contained flame retardants linked to cancer and other health issue. Let’s hear the reasons:
Connections Between Flame Retardants and Cancer
According to the study, 99% of the vehicles had a flame retardant called TCIPP, which is presently being looked into as a possible carcinogen by the US National Toxicology Program. Two more flame retardants, TDCIPP and TCEP, which are known to cause cancer, were also found in the majority of autos. Scientists have also connected these substances to reproductive and neurological harm.
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Higher Levels of Toxic Chemicals in Summer
The summer months have the largest concentrations of dangerous flame retardants, according to the study, because of the increased heat that facilitates the chemicals' easier release from automotive materials. For drivers who spend a lot of time in their cars—especially those with longer commutes or kids who breathe in more air per pound than adults—this is a serious worry.
Seat foam is a source of toxic chemicals.
According to the study's findings, seat foam—which automakers add to cars to comply with an antiquated flammability regulation that offers no demonstrable fire safety benefit—is the source of the cancer-causing chemicals in the cabin air.
Scholars Call for Updates to the Flammability Standard
The International Association of Fire Fighters' director of health, safety, and medicine, Patrick Morrison, voiced concerns about flame retardants' potential link to the high cancer rates among firefighters. He called on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the United States to revise its flammability standard to remove flame-retardant compounds from automobiles.
Reducing Exposure:
According to study author Lydia Jahl, opening car windows and parking in garages or other shaded areas can help people spend less time around these toxic flame retardants. She underlined that the true solution is to lessen the number of flame retardants that are added to cars in the first place, as children shouldn't be exposed to chemicals that can damage their developing brains while traveling to school or that commuting to work should not put them at risk for cancer.
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