99% of cars sold in the US between 2015 and 2022 will expose passengers to toxins linked to cancer and autism, a study warns

Drivers and their passengers breathe in harmful and potentially toxic chemicals every time they travel, a new study warns.

Researchers at the Green Science Policy Institute reported that 99 percent of cars made between 2015 and 2022 contain a flame-retardant chemical called tris(1-chloro-isopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP), which can lower children’s IQ levels and can cause fatal cancers.

According to the study, the chemical provides no real benefit and is currently under investigation by the US National Toxicology Program as a potential carcinogen.

In 99 percent of the vehicles examined, the majority of toxic chemicals were found in the seat foam

Researchers analyzed 101 cars in the US and tested about half of the vehicles in both summer and winter. They found that the higher temperatures caused higher flame retardant concentrations, according to the study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.

The amount of TCIPP in summer was two to five times higher than in winter, due to what is called ‘off-gassing’ – when the gas containing chemicals absorbed into materials is released into the air.

They also analyzed samples of the seat foam from half the cars and found that the cars with TCIPP had higher concentrations of the chemical in the air.

The average person spends about an hour a day in the car, making the findings “particularly concerning for drivers who travel longer distances and for children who breathe more air than adults,” said Rebecca Hoehn, lead author of the study. a scientist at Duke University.

Babies and children are also considered more vulnerable as they are transported to and from schools, doctor’s appointments and childcare, according to the study.

It found that increased exposure to the toxic chemicals could lower a child’s IQ level by three to five points because it disrupts the thyroid gland that releases brain-developing hormones.

Exposure to the toxins at a young age can cause a child to develop learning disabilities, autism and behavioral problems.

Automakers have continued to inject harmful chemicals into cars, including tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCIPP) and tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP). have been linked to neurological and reproductive problems.

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 more air, pound for pound, than adults. Elevated levels of flame retardant chemicals can cause children’s IQ levels to drop by three to five points

The researchers also pointed to a separate research paper that found that people with the highest levels of flame retardant chemicals in their blood had a four times greater risk of dying from cancer than those with low levels.

“Firefighters are concerned that flame retardants are contributing to their very high cancer rates,” said Patrick Morrison, who oversees the health and safety of 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 in most applications, but instead makes the fires smokier and more toxic to victims, and especially to first responders.”

A 1975 law that required all furniture manufacturers, including car makers, to add flame retardant chemicals to upholstered furniture, has since been lifted.

In 2013, lawmakers found that the typical sofa produced two to three pounds of cancer-causing chemicals that were also linked to reproductive problems.

The following year, a new flame retardant law was introduced that eliminated the need for injecting the chemicals into upholstered products, but did not ban the use of the chemicals.

Until the early 2000s, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were used in furniture, vehicles and electronics, but when scientists linked this to cognitive development and reproductive problems, it became limited.

However, automakers have found ways around this by using unrestricted flame retardants like the TCIPP to meet flammability standards, even though they still pose major health risks.

The research shows that the harmful effects of using the chemicals in furniture have been extensively studied, but there is still relatively little research into the evidence of exposure from personal vehicles.

More studies need to be conducted to determine the exact types of flame retardant chemicals injected into manufactured vehicles and what levels people are exposed to.

The researchers said there are ways to limit 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 added to cars in the first place.” ‘, says co-author Lydia. Jahl, a senior scientist at the Green Science Policy Institute.

“The commute should not pose a risk of cancer,” she added, “and children should not inhale chemicals on the way to school that could damage their brains.”