CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Have you ever wanted to know exactly what chemicals you or your children are being exposed to every day and what risks those chemicals may be posing?
Now there's an easy way find out.
Researchers at Oregon State University have developed a wristband that can track chemicals or pollutants in the environment. The bands act like a sponge soaking up toxins.
Scientists back at the lab can then extract those chemicals to see what they are.
Which leads to the question: Are those chemicals being absorbed by the bands also being absorbed by our bodies?
A recent study proved they are. In fact, the study showed once the chemicals get inside our bodies, they actually become even more toxic.
"Our body is trying to metabolize them in order to excrete them in our urine but sometimes that process isn't perfect and, in fact, when we metabolize them we make them more toxic and in the case of some of them they cause cancer," said Dr. Kim Anderson, OSU environmental chemist and leader of the research team.
The researchers say by knowing what chemicals our bodies absorb, they may be able to better predict what kind of diseases could develop and prevent them from developing in the future.
Dr. Anderson co-founded a company that is selling the wristbands to the general public.
Buyers will get one of the bands in the mail. They will wear it for a designated period of time, then send it back to a lab to be analyzed. They will then be sent a break-down of all the chemicals that were found. Learn more here
The cost starts at about $200 and goes up from there.
