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99% of cars sold in US between 2015 and 2022 expose passengers to toxin linked to cancer and autism, study warns
Drivers and their passengers are breathing in harmful and potentially toxic chemicals every time they travel, a new study warned.
Researchers at the Green Science Policy Institute reported that 99 percent of cars made in 2015 through 2022 contained a flame-retardant chemical called tris (1-chloro-isopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP) that can affect children's IQ levels and cause deadly cancers.
The chemical serves no real benefit, according to the study, and is currently under investigation by the US National Toxicology program as a potential carcinogen.
Drivers and their passengers are breathing in harmful and potentially toxic chemicals every time they travel, a new study warned. The toxin has been linked to the above health effects in adults and children
The majority of toxic chemicals were found in the seat foam in 99 percent of the vehicles studied
Researchers analyzed 101 cars across the US and tested about half of the vehicles in both the summer and winter and found that the higher temperatures caused higher flame-retardant concentrations, according to the study published in the Environmental Science and Technology journal.
The amount of TCIPP in the summer was two to five times higher compared to winter because of what's called off-gassing - when the gas containing chemicals that was absorbed in materials is released into the air.
They also analyzed samples of the seat foam from half of the cars and found that those containing TCIPP had higher concentrations of the chemical in the air.
The average person spends about an hour in a car per day, making the findings 'particularly concerning for drivers with longer commutes as well as child passengers, who breathe more air pound for pound than adults,' said Rebecca Hoehn, the study's lead author and a scientist at Duke University.
Infants and children are also considered to be more vulnerable because they're transported to and from schools, doctor's appointments and childcare, according to the study.
It revealed that increased exposure to the toxic chemicals could reduce a child's IQ levels by three to five points because it interferes with the thyroid which emits brain-developing hormones.
Exposure to the toxins at a young age could lead to a child developing learning disabilities, autism and behavioral issues.
Car manufacturers have continued to inject harmful chemicals into cars including tris (1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCIPP) and tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) which have been linked to neurological and reproductive issues.
The chemicals have also been labeled as two Proposition 65 carcinogens by the California government because they can cause cancer.
Children are more at risk because they breathe in more air pound for pound than adults. Increased levels of flame-retardant chemicals can cause children's IQ levels to drop by three to five points
The researchers also referenced a separate research paper that revealed people with the highest levels of flame-retardant chemicals in their blood had four times greater risk of dying from cancer than those who had low levels.
'Firefighters are concerned that flame retardants contribute to their very high cancer rates,' said Patrick Morrison, who oversees Health and Safety for 350,000 U.S. and Canadian firefighters at the International Association of Fire Fighters.
'Filling products with these harmful chemicals does little to prevent fires for most uses and instead makes the blazes smokier and more toxic for victims, and especially for first responders.'
A 1975 law that required all furniture manufacturers, including automakers, to add flame-retardant chemicals to upholstered furniture, which has since been disbanded.
In 2013, lawmakers found that the typical sofa produced two to three pounds of cancer-causing chemicals which were also linked to reproductive issues.
The following year, a new flame-retardant law was implemented that removed the need for the chemicals to be injected into upholstered products but didn't ban the chemicals from being used.
Up until the early 2000s, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were used in furniture, vehicles and electronics, but when scientists linked it to cognitive developmental and reproductive issues, it became restricted.
However, automakers found ways around it by using non-restricted flame-retardants like the TCIPP to comply with flammability standards even though they still carry major health risks.
The study said the harmful effects of using the chemicals in furniture was studied extensively but evidence of exposure from personal vehicles is still relatively understudied.
More studies need to be conducted to determine the exact types of flame-retardant chemicals that are injected into manufactured vehicles and what levels humans are exposed to.
The researchers said there are ways to mitigate the risk of exposure such as opening your windows or parking in the shade, 'but what's really needed is reducing the amount of flame retardants being added to cars in the first place,' said co-author Lydia Jahl, a senior scientist at the Green Science Policy Institute.
'Commuting to work shouldn't come with a cancer risk,' she added, 'and children shouldn't breathe in chemicals that can harm their brains on their way to school.'