NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Home dust contains microbes that can analyze cancer-causing chemicals in the environment, a new study found. However, byproducts resulting from this degradation may be detrimental to health.
"Our homes are full of all kinds of microbes, some of which are good, while others are dangerous," author Anna Sandoyo said in a report on Medical News. We can find them in many things, from dishwashing sponge to toothbrush holder. Our homes also contain many places where these microorganisms can hide.
In fact, the dust that settles on the furniture and other surfaces in our home contains a wide range of fungi belonging to staphylococcus bacteria and streptococcus.
Although these bacteria may harm our health, especially if our immune system is weak, recent research has found that microbes in domestic dust play an additional role, helping to analyze harmful chemicals in the environment.
A new study found that these dust bacteria could decompose phthalates, compounds belonging to a class of chemicals that the study linked to cancer and other diseases.
Ashley Bob, a Ph.D. in environmental science at the Ohio State University in Columbus, is the author of the paper.
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Fight harmful chemicals
The main purpose of phthalates is to soften and make plastic and polyvinyl chloride more flexible. In fact, these phthalates are present in almost all household and consumer products, from curtains and wallpaper to plastic toys, cleaning materials and food packaging bags.
Researchers have not been able to understand the health effects of phthalates until now, but current studies suggest that these chemicals disrupt the endocrine system. Experts also believe that a phthalate compound, known as phthalate (2-ethyl hexyl), causes cancer.
"We know that phthalates can be decomposed into other systems, like aquatic systems and soils, but we are often exposed to them in our homes," said Ashley Bob, the author of the new study. Whether biodegradation actually occurs in a closed environment ".
To find out, the researchers analyzed a piece of carpet from a randomly selected house in Massachusetts, other pieces of carpet from three Ohio homes, and dust samples collected from vacuum cleaners in the same houses.
Laboratory analysis revealed the presence of phthalates and microbes as expected. The researchers also found that the cancer-causing phthalates (2-ethyl hexyl) have higher concentrations than other phthalates.
The researchers then stored the carpets at different moisture levels to examine the interaction between microbes and phthalates. They found that high humidity levels helped to multiply dust microbes, noting that the more humidity and the number of microbes, the higher the number of phthalates analyzed by these microbes. The researchers also explained that the breakdown of phthalates may cause more harmful health risks.
"We can see that phthalates have been decomposed, but the byproducts from this decomposition can be more damaging," said co-author Sarah Haines. "We really need to study this more, especially in cases of high relative humidity. It is also not recommended to maintain high relative humidity in your home, because of the possibility of increased growth of microbes there.
It should be noted that the humidity levels used by the team in this research is almost twice the levels of moisture in the home. When the humidity is very high, the microbes multiply significantly along with fungus and mold.
| " Phthalates were decomposed but the byproducts caused by this decomposition could be more damaging " |
The most comprehensive picture
"In the past, people thought there was not much microbial activity in the internal environment, but this study shows that this is not the case," said study co-author Karen Dunmiller, who also serves as director of the Ohio State University's Environmental Quality Laboratory. "We know that chemicals and microbes are in our homes, but the question here is how we can build healthy buildings," he said.