The products you use everyday during your morning routine -- shampoo, deodorant, hair gel -- can create plumes of emissions as you go about your day. In Boulder, scientists recording emissions around the city discovered strange spikes in the data, especially in the morning, that weren’t coming from cars. Those spikes came from D5 siloxane, a compound found in personal care products. D5 siloxane gives your lotions and other personal care supplies that silky smooth feel, but it also lingers in the atmosphere for several days.
Matthew Coggon, an atmospheric scientist with the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences in Boulder, tells Colorado Matters about his work measuring these emissions from our bodies. Coggon, who also works for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, recently had his research on the impact of personal hygiene products published in the journal Environment Science and Technology.
