By Sola Ogundipe

How safe are your smartphones, flat-screen televisions and computer screens?  Researchers say these devices may be contaminating your home with potentially toxic chemicals.

A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that certain chemicals called liquid crystal monomers have the potential to contaminate the immediate environment around you particularly your home.

It was gathered from the study that liquid crystal monomers are used in a wide number of products ranging from flat-screen TVs to solar panels.

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In a study, the scientists analysed 362 commonly used liquid crystal monomers and found that nearly 100 could be toxic. They also assessed the toxicity of monomers commonly found in six widely used smartphone models.

Monomers from smartphones are believed to be potentially hazardous to animals and the environment. They can inhibit the ability to digest nutrients and also disrupt the functioning of the gallbladder and thyroid, similar to dioxins and flame retardants are known to be toxic to humans and wildlife.

To determine how common these chemicals are in the environment, the researchers tested dust gathered from seven different locations in China — a canteen, student dormitory, teaching building, hotel, personal residence, lab, and electronics repair facility.

Nearly half of the 53 samples tested positive for liquid crystal monomers.

According to the Study Leader,  John Giesy, who is the Canada Research Chair in Environmental Toxicology at the University of Saskatchewan: “These chemicals are semi-liquid and can get into the environment at any time during manufacturing and recycling and they are vaporised during burning. Now we also know that these chemicals are being released by-products just by using them.

“We don’t know yet whether this a problem, but we do know that people are being exposed, and these chemicals have the potential to cause adverse effects,” Giesy said in a university news release.

“There are currently no standards for quantifying these chemicals and no regulatory standards. We are at ground zero,” Giesy said.

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