It’s a study that can worry everyone who spends a lot of time in their car: work carried out by a team of scientists from the University of California (United States) shows that the air inside automobiles contains particles of TDCIPP (chlorinated organophosphate), a potentially carcinogenic chemical commonly used as a flame retardant in the upholstery of vehicle seats.
We knew that the air inhaled inside a car was already highly polluted by the gases and particles emitted by car traffic. This study published in the journal Environnement International shows that products generated by materials inside the car can also be toxic.
A list of 800 carcinogenic or toxic products
This would be the case of TDCIPP whose harmful effects on health (risks of cancer and fertility problems have been observed in the laboratory on rodents and zebrafish) nevertheless earned it to be placed in 2011 on the list of proposition 65 in California which lists more than 800 chemical substances “whose carcinogenic effects or reproductive toxicity are recognized by the State of California ”. This list is updated at least once a year and covers all consumer products sold or distributed in California, including textiles, shoes, capital goods, DIY, childcare and stationery items, toys and electrical or electronic products.
In fact this product was withdrawn from the manufacture of furniture for the home … but it continues to be used by the automotive industry. This attracted the curiosity of David Wolz, associate professor of toxicology at the University of California. This scientist studied for almost 10 years the effect of various chemicals on fertility and early development using human cells and zebrafish as a model. In the latter, he observed that TDCIPP prevented an embryo from developing normally.
A silicone strap to capture airborne substances
Knowing that the product continued to be used to flame retardant car seat foams, David Wolz investigated how exposure to TDCIPP could affect time spent in an automobile. To find out, he used … his own undergraduates from the University of California, the majority of whom commute daily by car.
Ninety students whose journey times varied between 15 minutes and more than two hours round trip were equipped with a silicone bracelet worn for five days. The molecular structure of silicone allows it to capture substances suspended in the air. Observations made during this experiment showed that TDCIPP was found in inhaled dust inside vehicles and that exposure to this product was one of the only ones among the other chlorinated organophosphates tested to show a strong positive association with time. path.
Frequently dust the interior of vehicles
No urine sample was taken from the “guinea pig” students to verify whether the product had migrated into their body. “We assume this is the case due to the difficulty in avoiding ingestion and inhalation of dust ”, suggests David Wolz.
“If we found in five days of testing, what does this mean for long-term chronic exposure for those who spend a lot of time in the car for decades?”, Asks the researcher who wishes to repeat this study with a larger group of people of more varied ages. In the meantime, he offers a common sense “solution”: dust the interior of vehicles frequently!
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