Children, especially infants, are at significant risk of
exposure to potentially toxic chemicals in dust while playing and crawing on
the floor.
According to the research led by the milken institute school
of public health at George Washington, D/C, United States, household dust
exposes people to numerous toxic chemicals that are associated with severe
health problems; and children are particularly at risk.
Aiming to identify the top toxic chemicals that are commonly
found in dust.
In the first of its kind meta-analysis, published in
Environmental Science & Technology, the researchers discovered that the
number one chemical identified in household dust was DEHP, which belongs to a
hazardous class of chemicals called phthalates that are used in everything from
household cleaners to food packaging to cosmetics, fragrance, and personal
hygiene products.
Household dust was found to have phthalates in the highest
concentration with a mean of 7,682 nanograms per gram of dusts.
Phenols, chemicals used in cleaning products and other
household items, were the second on the list of highest concentrations, followed
by flame retardants and highly fluorinated chemicals that are used to make non
stick cook ware.
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