Plastics used to make furniture, electronics and home insulation contain toxic chemicals that scientists have discovered can be easily absorbed into human skin.
Toxic chemicals used to make laptops, baby seats and smartphones more flame-resistant can easily pass through human skin and leak into the bloodstream, scientists at the University of Birmingham have shown for the first time.
These substances, which are used in a variety of household items, including changing tables, can interfere with thyroid function, cognitive development, motor skills, and ovarian function, in addition to increasing the risk of cancer.
Researchers already knew they could enter the body through food and water, but this is the first time they have shown that the chemicals can leach into the skin.
Some of the toxic chemicals have been banned in the United Kingdom, the European Union and 13 US states, including Maine, Hawaii, Michigan, Washington, Oregon, Illinois, Maryland and New York.
Scientists at the University of Birmingham have found that five chemicals used to make plastics more flame-resistant can leach through sweat and be absorbed into human skin. The photo shows products made with chemicals.
The scientists placed PBDE-containing microplastics on a 3D human skin equivalent (left), soaked them, and then removed them for analysis (top right). Sweatier skin (below right) is more vulnerable to these toxic chemicals penetrating and entering the bloodstream.
The group of chemicals called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), introduced in the 1970s, were supposed to make people safer, but they had unintended consequences.
The new study looked at whether the skin could absorb toxic chemicals from microplastics.
However, microplastics are persistent pests and remain in the environment indefinitely.
Using simulated skin 3D printed from human skin cells, scientists were able to test how PBDEs penetrate the skin, without having to expose people or animals to harmful chemicals.
They moistened the skin and exposed it to two different types of microplastics for 24 hours.
The researchers noted that it was important to moisturize the skin for two reasons.
One, to simulate what happens during normal life: the skin sweats a little.
And two, because research has shown that skin moisture affects how these chemicals are absorbed.
The team tested the skin after 24 hours and found that it absorbed up to 8 percent of the PBDEs from the microplastics.
The chemicals in question were BDE 47, BDE 99, BDE 100, BDE 153 and BDE 183, all of which are known to be toxic.
When the skin was sweatier, it absorbed greater amounts of chemicals.
“Microplastics are everywhere in the environment, and yet we still know relatively little about the health problems they can cause,” saying The first author of the study, Dr Ovokeroye Abafe, who led the research at the University of Birmingham.
The map above shows states that have banned some forms of PBDEs. They are banned in many countries, including the European Union.
A scientist holds Episkin, simulated skin produced in a laboratory from real human skin cells.
‘Our research shows that they play a role as ‘carriers’ of harmful chemicals that can reach the bloodstream through the skin. “These chemicals are persistent, so with continued or regular exposure to them, there will be a gradual buildup to the point where they begin to cause harm.”
Part of the reason scientists still don’t fully understand the health consequences of microplastics is that there are dozens of different types of plastics, which can contain thousands of different chemicals.
But it is clear that PBDEs are harmful to human health.
In fact, many of the concerns about PBDEs arose in the early 2000s, when a study showed that women’s breast milk contained some of the harmful substances.
But just last year, a similar experiment showed that of 50 breast milk samples from women in the same region, each of them contained PBDEs.
A 2018 study found chemicals in fish in the US and UK.
And a study published earlier this month found that people with higher levels of PBDEs in their blood had higher risks of dying from cancer.
So although PBDEs are not used as frequently anymore, they still exist and are still manufactured.
Dr Mohamed Abdallah, Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham and lead scientist on the project, said: “These findings provide important evidence for regulators and policymakers to improve legislation on microplastics and protect public health against harmful exposure”.