More than 5,000 TONS of toxic chemicals released inside homes and workplaces annually

In the U.S., tens of thousands of tons of toxic chemicals are released each year from everyday consumer products into homes and workplaces, a study suggests.

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley found that makeup, hand sanitizers, shampoos, body lotions and mothballs were among the goods containing the highest levels of toxins.

These chemicals serve multiple purposes in products, such as formaldehyde used to prevent wrinkles in clothing and diethanolamine as a lubricant in soaps and shampoos.

Toxic volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects, organ failure and other complications. A person can be exposed by touch or inhalation as chemicals travel in the air.

While no case of these devastating conditions has ever been directly linked to household products, evidence shows that repeated exposure carries risks.

“This study is the first to reveal the extent to which toxic VOCs are used in everyday products of all kinds that can lead to serious health problems,” said Dr Kristin Knox, the study’s lead author and a scientist at the Silent Spring Institute environmental research organization. said.

Researchers estimate that 5,000 tons of toxic chemicals are released each year in California alone. Across the country, the number is likely to run into the tens of thousands.

The Berkeley research team, which published their findings Tuesday in the magazine Environmental science and technologyused environmental data to find the prevalence of the chemicals in regular goods.

Under California Prop 65, which voters passed by referendum in 1986, consumer goods containing toxic chemicals are required to warn customers of their presence.

These chemicals can serve multiple purposes in clothing and other household items. Manufacturers use them in small amounts to improve the consistency and texture of some products.

While many of these chemicals are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, they are not outright banned.

Outside of California, their prevalence in household items is also not consistently tracked.

However, they can be washed off products and end up in groundwater and also come off products and become airborne.

When these chemicals are released into the atmosphere, their interaction with sunlight will lead to the development of ozone.

The resulting gas is harmful to humans and leads to inflammation and irritation of the lungs, leaving those exposed to bouts of coughing and difficulty breathing.

California environmental officials test products sold in the state for these chemicals. The Berkeley team used the data collected by government officials for their research.

The data includes 172 products that have been tested for these harmful chemicals. Of these, 105 contain at least one toxic substance

Researchers collected data on 33 toxic chemicals that were monitored by state environmental health officials.

The most common chemical overall was methanol, which is used as a solvent and antifreeze in household items such as paint and building materials.

Also among the leaders were diethanolamine, ethylbenzene – used to make plastic, ethylene glycol – used as antifreeze, and toluene – used as a solvent in paints and other materials.

The worst offenders were construction and cleaning supplies.

Caulk glue, a sealant for filling cracks and other spaces in floors and walls used in millions of buildings across America, was found to contain 11 toxic chemicals.

Industrial glue, also widely used in buildings across America, contains seven hazardous chemicals.

“For car and construction workers… All of these exposures add up and can do serious damage,” said Dr. Meg Schwarzman, author of the study and environmental health scientist at Berkeley.

“At the most basic level, workers deserve to know what they are exposed to.

“But at the end of the day they deserve safer products and this research should force manufacturers to make important changes to protect worker health.”

Researchers warn that this poses an increased danger to people working on construction sites and other similar environments.

The Berkeley researchers also collected data on 16 goods a person would use on their body, including cosmetics and hygiene products.

Formaldehyde, which has been linked to nose and eye cancer after long-term exposure, was the most common chemical found on these goods.

Among them, the worst culprit was nail coatings, which contain five toxic chemicals, including formaldehyde.

Hand sanitizer – a product that many ironically use to protect themselves from harmful substances – contained four.

These include methanol, which has been linked to eye problems and migraines after prolonged exposure.

Researchers also collected data on 18 products “routinely used in the home,” such as dish soap and laundry detergent, and found that many of them were also contaminated.

Laundry detergent contained six chemicals, including methanol, diethanolamine – which can cause a deadly buildup of fluid in the lungs, and ethylbenzene – linked to liver failure and cancer.

There were five toxic substances in dish soap, including diethanolamine, formaldehyde, methanol and methylene chloride, also linked to cancer.