Toxic chemicals used in laptops, baby seats and smartphones can easily pass ... trends now
Plastics used to make furniture, electronics, and home insulation contain toxic chemicals that scientists have found can be easily absorbed into human skin.
Toxic chemicals used to make laptops, baby seats, and smartphones more flameproof can easily pass through human skin and leach into bloodstream, scientists at the University of Birmingham have shown for first time.
These substances, which are used in a range of household items, even baby changing tables, and can interfere with thyroid function, cognitive development, motor skills, and ovarian function, along with increasing cancer risk.
Researchers already knew they could enter the body through food and water, but this is the first time they've shown that the chemicals can seep into the skin.
Some of the toxic chemicals have been banned by the UK, the European Union, and 13 US states including Maine, Hawaii, Michigan, Washington, Oregon, Illinois, Maryland and New York.
Scientists at the University of Birmingham found five chemicals used to make plastics more flameproof can leach into sweat and absorb into human skin. Pictured are products made with the chemicals
Scientists put microplastics containing PBDEs onto 3D human skin equivalent (left), let it soak, and then removed it for analysis (top right). Sweatier skin (bottom right) is more vulnerable to these toxic chemicals soaking through and entering the bloodstream.
Introduced in the 1970s, the group of chemicals called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), were supposed to make people safer, but they came with unintended consequences.
The new study looked at if toxic chemicals could be absorbed by the skin from microplastics.
Microplastics are persistent pests, though, and they stick around in the environment indefinitely.
Using simulated skin 3D-printed from human skin cells, scientists were able to test how PBDEs soak through skin - without having to expose people or animals to the harmful chemicals.
They moistened the skin and exposed it to two
