- Scientists found 109 chemicals in the human body, including 42 mystery chemicals.
- The scientists matched chemical samples using spectrometry and detective work.
- The chemicals are mostly from consumer products, and aren’t automatically harmful.
Just as you contain multitudes, your body contains multiple chemicals—a total of 109, in fact, including 55 that have never been reported in humans before, and 42 “mystery chemicals” that come from unknown environmental sources, according to a new study from UC San Francisco.
➡ You think science is badass. So do we. Let’s nerd out over it together.
In the study, which appears in Environmental Science and Technology, scientists revealed the chemicals found in pregnant women’s bodies. They say the chemicals have likely been in there for a while, but high-resolution spectrometry has only just begun to reveal them in detail. To test chemicals, researchers also rely on pure “standard” samples made by manufacturers, which they can’t always get ahold of.
Dark Side of the Moon.
Mass spectrometry is a blast of light that shines through a sample and breaks into parts according to the particles in the sample. Think about the classic prism image on the cover of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, where a beam of white light breaks into the rainbow spectrum on the other side. Each chemical element and compound has a signature appearance that scientists can pick out.
As technology advances, the resolution gets higher and higher, allowing for more detailed and subtly different signatures to be identified. Out of 60 total samples in the study (30 from pregnant people and 30 from their umbilical cords), the high-resolution mass spectrometer picked out 662 chemical signatures when blasting positive ions and 788 when blasting negative ions. From there, the scientists combined like samples and started to sort out their 109 final unique findings.
The researchers studied pregnant people’s samples in particular because pregnancy is a “critical period of development for future health risks,” they explain. Some chemicals appeared both in pregnant people and their newborn babies, which suggests the chemicals crossed through the placenta into the womb where the fetus developed.
What counts as a chemical? This is a bit of a sticky wicket, because technically everything is a chemical. But the researchers say most of the new 42 mystery chemicals and many of the known samples are likely from consumer products. Take a deep breath:
“Examples include
(i) 1-(1-acetyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-4-yl)-3-dodecylpyrrolidine-2,5-dione
(ii) methyl perfluoroundecanoate and 2-perfluorooctyl ethanoic acid (two PFAS compounds); and
(iii) Sumilizer GA 80 (plasticizer).”
Overall, the chemicals range from common pesticides to things like paint, waterproofing, or nonstick cookware coating. The scientists matched 73 of the 109 chemicals by using information from “fragmentation spectra matching” and an additional 15 using standard chemicals. Standards are samples from manufacturers that are made for comparison purposes exactly like this experiment.
Why are so many of the chemicals unidentifiable? This, the researchers say, comes down to the chemical industry. Even harmless chemicals must be documented and made available so scientists can rule them out or easily identify them. Without these samples, scientists don’t have a comparison point, making it almost impossible to pick out what they’re looking at, even with sophisticated observation skills.
Imagine a crime victim trying to pick someone out of a lineup where the suspects are hidden from view. In this research, scientists have 42 blurry suspects and no potential matches. This, they say, comes down to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which issues requirements for companies to name and sample all the chemicals they use in consumer goods.
🎥 Now Watch This:
Caroline Delbert is a writer, avid reader, and contributing editor at Pop Mech. She's also an enthusiast of just about everything. Her favorite topics include nuclear energy, cosmology, math of everyday things, and the philosophy of it all.
As a seasoned expert in the field of environmental chemistry and analytical techniques, my extensive knowledge allows me to provide insight into the recent groundbreaking study conducted by UC San Francisco. The study, published in Environmental Science and Technology, delves into the intricate realm of chemicals present in the human body, with a focus on pregnant women and their unborn babies.
The researchers employed cutting-edge technology, specifically high-resolution mass spectrometry, to analyze chemical samples from both pregnant individuals and their umbilical cords. Having a deep understanding of mass spectrometry, I can explain that it involves shining a beam of light through a sample, breaking it into parts based on the particles present. The resulting spectra, akin to the iconic prism image on Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon album cover, reveal unique chemical signatures.
In this study, the high-resolution mass spectrometer identified a staggering 662 chemical signatures for positive ions and 788 for negative ions out of 60 total samples. The researchers meticulously sorted through these signatures, ultimately uncovering 109 unique chemicals. Notably, 55 of these chemicals had never been reported in humans before, and 42 were labeled as "mystery chemicals" originating from unknown environmental sources.
The focus on pregnant individuals is justified, as the study asserts that pregnancy is a critical period for future health risks. Some chemicals were found both in pregnant individuals and their newborns, suggesting that these substances traverse the placenta and influence fetal development.
Addressing the definition of a chemical, the researchers grapple with the challenge of classifying everything as a chemical. However, they emphasize that most of the 42 mystery chemicals and many known samples likely originate from consumer products. Examples provided include specific compounds found in plasticizers, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFAS), and paint.
Furthermore, the study sheds light on the difficulties researchers face in identifying and categorizing these chemicals. The lack of access to pure "standard" samples from manufacturers, crucial for comparison, poses a significant hurdle. The researchers matched 73 of the 109 chemicals using information from fragmentation spectra matching and an additional 15 using standard chemicals. The remaining 42 chemicals, characterized as blurry suspects, underscore the challenges posed by the chemical industry's documentation practices.
The researchers attribute the unidentifiable nature of many chemicals to gaps in documentation, emphasizing the role of regulatory bodies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They argue that comprehensive documentation of all chemicals used in consumer goods is essential for scientific understanding and identification, drawing an analogy to a crime victim trying to identify suspects without a clear lineup.
In conclusion, this study provides a comprehensive exploration of the chemical landscape within the human body, highlighting the complexities of identifying and understanding the diverse array of substances present. As an enthusiast of environmental science, I find this research both fascinating and crucial for advancing our understanding of the intricate interplay between human biology and the environment.
