New research has found that the human body has been detected to contain dozens of unidentified chemicals. In addition to the various chemicals from food, the surrounding environment, such as for paint, waterproofing materials, non-stick coating of these chemical materials contained inside the chemical, more or less will enter the body.
A new study found that as many as 42 chemicals of unknown origin were detected in the human body, and it was not known what they were used for or what materials they were added to and entered the body. A study published in the March 17 issue of the American Chemical Society’s Environmental Science & Technology presents this alarming result.
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UC San Francisco) collected 60 samples from 30 pregnant women for testing, 30 from the women themselves and 30 from the umbilical cords of their newborns.
The researchers explained that “pregnancy is a critical stage that reflects the health risks of the next generation” as to why the samples were taken from pregnant women. If some chemicals are detected in the pregnant women and in the umbilical cord, it means that these ingredients have been passed to the fetus through the umbilical cord.
The researchers identified a total of 109 chemicals from these samples, comparing each with various chemicals known to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be contained in chemical products. Fifty-five were found to be substances not previously found in the human body, and 42 were found to be “mystery chemicals” whose sources and uses were unknown to the researchers.
Why are there so many unidentified chemicals in the human body? Researchers say it is closely related to the chemical industry in modern society. Tracey J. Woodruff, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology and reproductive sciences at UCSF, one of the researchers, said, “These chemicals have probably been in the body for some time, but it’s just that we have the technology we have now to be able to identify their chemical classes.”
Although the researchers can probably guess their chemical composition, but this study to do is and the chemical industry manufacturers to provide all the products contained in the comparison of chemicals to confirm their identity, and many manufacturers are now not strictly enforced to record the composition of the rules.
For example, the study said that one manufacturer no longer updates the composition specifications for the fluorinated surfactants (PFAS) they use, which led researchers to wonder which compounds are contained in the new materials they use. These materials are widely used in carpets, upholstery and other areas.
This study lists the possible origins of dozens of chemicals that have never been in the human body before:.
● An ingredient used in pesticides.
● two perfluorinated chemicals (PFAS), commonly used in non-stick pans, waterproof fabrics.
● ten plasticizers used in materials such as food bags, disposable paper plates, and small appliances.
● two ingredients used in beauty products.
● four are high yield chemicals (HPVC).
● more than thirty unidentified ingredients whose source information and use could not be found, possibly for perfumes, paints and other products.
Woodruff said, “It’s concerning that there are so many chemical ingredients that we can’t even determine their uses and sources. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should increase its oversight of the chemical industry to develop specifications to report on the compounds used and their uses.”
As a scientist who used to work for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Woodruff said, “These chemicals are passed on to the next generation through the mother, which means they will be passed on in the human body from generation to generation, and that is a cause for alarm.”
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