Newswise —
Many people think the things they use every day are safe, but a new study by Silent Spring Institute and University of California, Berkeley shows that there are harmful ingredients in products we use at home and work. These findings could help government agencies make better rules about these chemicals and help companies make safer products.
Products that we use every day, such as shampoos, lotions, cleaners, mothballs, and paint removers, can contain harmful chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These chemicals can escape into the air and accumulate inside our homes, causing health problems like cancer. Unfortunately, companies are not always required to tell us what is in their products, so it's hard to know what we might be exposed to and how it could affect our health.
According to Kristin Knox, the lead author and scientist at Silent Spring Institute, this study is the first to show how much harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are present in all kinds of everyday products that can cause serious health issues. By making this information public, it could encourage manufacturers to change their products and use safer ingredients.
To conduct their analysis, Kristin Knox and her colleagues used data from an unexpected source: The California Air Resources Board (CARB). For over 30 years, CARB has been monitoring the presence of harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in consumer products as part of their efforts to reduce smog. When exposed to sunlight, VOCs react with other pollutants in the air and create ozone, which is a major component of smog.
The government agency CARB checks on companies that sell products in California. They ask about what's in the products and how much of each type is sold. They're especially interested in chemicals called VOCs. But they don't tell anyone which specific products they're checking.
Some scientists studied information collected by CARB and wrote about it in a journal called Environmental Science & Technology. They only looked at 33 chemicals that can cause cancer, birth defects, or other problems, which California law (Proposition 65) says companies have to warn people about. The law applies to products sold in California, and the warnings are necessary if the products could expose people to a lot of these chemicals.
The scientists looked at the data and found over 100 different products that contain harmful chemicals listed under Prop 65. They singled out 30 products that are especially concerning because they often have a lot of these chemicals and can cause the most harm. Most of these products are personal care items. It's important to note that the data only looked at harmful VOCs and didn't include other toxic chemicals like lead, which are also listed under Prop 65.
The scientists are particularly worried about products used by workers because they tend to use many different products that contain harmful chemicals. For example, people who work in nail and hair salons use various products like nail polish, remover, hair straighteners, and adhesives, which can have up to 9 different harmful chemicals listed under Prop 65. Janitors might use even more products like cleaners, degreasers, and detergents, which can expose them to over 20 Prop 65 VOCs.
One of the study's authors, Meg Schwarzman, who is a doctor and environmental health scientist at UC Berkeley School of Public Health, says that workers in industries like auto and construction also face a similar risk of harm. The exposure to harmful chemicals from different products can accumulate and cause serious health problems. Schwarzman believes that workers deserve to know what they're being exposed to and to use safer products. The study's findings should encourage manufacturers to make significant changes to protect workers' health.
Of the 33 VOCs listed under Prop 65, the researchers identified the top 11 chemicals that manufacturers should eliminate from products because of the chemicals’ high toxicity and widespread use. Other findings include:
- Among products used on the body, formaldehyde was the most common Prop 65 VOC, and was found in nail polish, shampoo, makeup, and other types personal care items.
- For products used in the home, general purpose cleaners, art supplies, and laundry detergents contained the most Prop 65 VOCs.
- Adhesives contained more than a dozen different Prop 65 VOCs, highlighting that workers can be exposed to many toxic chemicals from using just one type of product.
The scientists used the CARB data to figure out how much Prop 65 VOCs were released into the air indoors from consumer products in California. They found that in 2020, over 5,000 tons of these harmful chemicals were released, with nearly 300 tons coming just from mothballs containing 1,4-dichlorobenzene.
Another author of the study, Claudia Polsky, who is the Director of the Environmental Law Clinic at UC Berkeley School of Law, says that although Prop 65 has helped to reduce people's exposure to harmful chemicals by encouraging companies to make safer products, there is still much work to be done. The study highlights the need for product manufacturers and regulators across the US to take action because the products listed in the CARB database are sold all over the country.
The study proposes solutions by identifying the types of products that manufacturers should redesign to replace harmful VOCs with safer alternatives. Additionally, based on their findings, the authors recommend that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) consider regulating five more chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). These chemicals include ethylene oxide, styrene, 1,3-dichloropropene, diethanolamine, and cumene.
For more tips on how to limit everyday exposures to harmful VOCs and other chemicals of concern, download Silent Spring’s Detox Me app.
The funding for this project came from multiple sources, including the California Breast Cancer Research Program (Grant #23QB-1881), payments made by private litigants in Prop 65 enforcement cases that were directed to the Silent Spring Institute instead of civil penalties to support the cause of reducing toxins, and charitable donations to the Silent Spring Institute.
Reference: Knox, K.E., R.E. Dodson, R.A. Rudel, C. Polsky, and M.R. Schwarzman. 2023. Identifying toxic consumer products: Novel data set reveals air emissions of potent carcinogens, reproductive toxicants, and developmental toxicants. Environmental Science & Technology. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c07247
About Silent Spring Institute: Silent Spring Institute, located in Newton, Mass., is the leading scientific research organization dedicated to uncovering the link between chemicals in our everyday environments and women's health, with a focus on breast cancer prevention. Founded in 1994, the institute is developing innovative tools to accelerate the transition to safer chemicals, while translating its science into policies that protect health. Visit us at www.silentspring.org and follow us on Twitter @SilentSpringIns.
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