Specifically, the researchers identified benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene as routinely used chemicals that have been linked to reproductive, respiratory and heart problems, LiveScience reports.
“There’s evidence of a connection between the low level, everyday exposures and things like asthma and reduced fetal growth,” said Ashley Bolden, a research associate at TEDX and lead author of the study. “And for a lot of the health effects found, we think it’s disrupted endocrine-signaling pathways involved in these outcomes.”
Because the health impacts in question involved low level exposures, the researchers had to go through more than 40 studies to synthesize their findings.
While the analysis does not conclusively prove that low threshold exposure to these common chemicals directly changes hormone function, it does warn that interruptions to a developing endocrine system can lead to complications.
Health problems such as asthma, low birth weight, cardiovascular disease, preterm birth, and abnormal sperm can be rooted in the disruption of the endocrine system, Bolden said.
The EPA, responding to the analysis, said that it would incorporate its findings into the tests it runs on thousands of chemicals for potential risk of endocrine disruption.
In addition to the presence of the four chemicals identified during the extraction of oil and natural gas, they are also found in consumer products such as adhesives, detergents, dyes, pesticides, polishes, and even playground equipment.
While some trade groups have taken the analysis as a way to deflect or reapportion responsibility for ambient chemical exposure, the authors are advocating for more attention to be given to air contaminants, on a level similar to the attention given greenhouse gases.