New study makes concerning discovery about farms where food is grown: 'A critical step in understanding the potential risks'
A recent study made a disturbing discovery about the ongoing problem of tire chemicals seeping into agricultural products.
A recent study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials found that additives used in tire manufacturing were present in common fruits and vegetables eaten in Switzerland. While further research is needed to understand the implications for human health, this discovery was described as "a critical step in understanding the potential risks associated with these contaminants."
As explained in a report from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne published by Phys.org, tires often "release additives such as antioxidants and vulcanizing agents" that can make their way to agriculture after dispersing through the air and being transported by runoff water. In addition to inhaling these chemicals, humans are exposed to them by ingesting contaminated food, researchers from the EPFL and the Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office determined.
"Our exposure to these additives is similar to that for other micropollutants," Florian Breider, who heads the Central Environmental Laboratory research group at the EPFL, said, per the university's report. "They're around us constantly, in every part of our environment. What we don't know is whether we need to introduce tighter controls, such as by phasing them out in tire manufacturing in favor of less toxic alternatives."
As part of the study, scientists tested fruits and vegetables for 11 compounds typically found in tire additives and found traces of those compounds in 31% of the samples. The origin of the fruits and vegetables and whether they were organic made no difference in the findings, showing how wide the range of exposure is for the general public.
"Since people's diets are broadly the same throughout Western Europe, there's a good chance that these findings are representative of consumers' exposure in neighboring countries," Breider said in the EPFL's report.
This marks another growing concern for crops around the world. Many people are aware of the issue of fruits and vegetables being covered in pesticides. While useful for protecting crops, pesticides can have detrimental effects and can lead to an increased risk of significant health issues such as cancer and diabetes.
The health effects of tire additives are still being explored, but any exposure to chemicals is unsettling.
"We don't know how these compounds are metabolized by the human body," Breider said in the EPFL's report. "It's something we need to explore because we're all exposed to these compounds—and especially people in certain population groups, such as road workers."
According to the EPFL's report, scientists in China are also looking into the subject and testing for the presence of tire additives in human blood and urine samples. Scientists in Switzerland are taking the broader approach of "exploring ways in which roads can be decontaminated to prevent tire additives from entering the environment."
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You can limit exposure to chemicals in various ways. Cooking at home as much as possible, using less plastic packaging, and growing your own produce are simple actions you can take to protect yourself. By increasing consumer awareness of these dangers, more people can put pressure on companies to phase out dangerous materials.
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